Confluence
by Violet Garnets
Summary: After three years of exile, Naruto's come home to Konoha. And just in time as well, because Kakashi's strange and vivid dreams are starting to take a toll on him. To save their future, the past will be revealed. KakaNaru.
1. Return to Konoha

Confluence

By Violet Garnets

**Chapter One: Return**

o-x-o-x-o

_The wind brushed his cheek softly, like a gentle touch from a loved one— a reminder that he was still alive. It was silent save for the man's own heavy breathing. Dusk slowly enveloped the sky and he could see the faintest glimmers of far-off stars above him. But his vision blurred around the edges, so everything faded in and out of his sight. Soon, he thought, soon he would be among those stars, awaiting judgment from the heavens. _

_A loud crackle came from the trees, as if a gale had come blazing through the forest. A dark figure burst out into the clearing. The body hidden in darkness made his way over to him. Surprisingly, there was no feeling of alertness or fear, only an overwhelming relief._

_The dark figure turned out to be a young man, judging from his tall and masculine form. With a rumbling stop, the man was soon at his side, grabbing at his arm. He could see that this figure was dressed in simple clothes that wouldn't hinder his movement, the dark shadow of a bow and a quiver of arrows slung on the man's back. However, the person's face was still hidden. The man kneeled down and began to shout. "You idiot! What happened? Damn it, you're so stupid!" Somehow those words seemed to be directed at the speaker himself, not the one on the ground. "We need to get you somewhere safe, so we can—"_

_The one lying down shook his head slowly, deliberately. He replied in a dry whisper. "You know no one will help me…" He coughed harshly, saw the blood spurting out of his mouth, and felt it dribble down his chin. "It's useless. I'm moving onward, becoming a part of the future—"_

"_Shut up! Just shut up! That won't happen. It can't." A tear dropped from the shadowed face. The unknown man let out a sigh, one full of resignation—and despair. He ran a dry, callused hand down the dying man's face with an excruciating deliberateness. It was like he wanted to remember the feeling completely. They both did. "Will…will you promise me something? Promise…that...even if I'm not born to myself…you'll find me."_

_It was quiet again. The bloodied man was slowly losing consciousness, he could feel it. "You're…always so cliché…it's annoying…" It was so difficult to shape his mouth around these words and expel air to sound them out; it all took so much effort. But soon, it'd be done. He almost looked forward to that prospect. The dark glare of his companion bored into his head. "All right, I promise. Work hard, and end it all. I'll see you later…" His voice faded along with his vision and he heard the young man whisper something, but he was too out of focus to get a grasp on what the other had said. _

_The last thing he saw was a pair of clear, crystalline eyes. The last thing he felt was a silky caress, and a delicate breeze. And then…he knew no more._

Kakashi woke up in a cold sweat. He propped himself up into a sitting position and looked around the room warily with both eyes, paranoia one of the aftereffects of his dream. It was several moments before the copy-nin finally relaxed. With a large sigh, he crumpled into himself, his arms holding up his head.

_That goddamn voice in his dreams—again._

The silver-haired shinobi looked out the window. Judging by the pale, barely there light, it was almost sunrise. Perfect.

It was half an hour later when the sun rose and Kakashi was predictably at the memorial, in normal attire and a bento in hand. Usually, he would stand or sit there for hours and enjoy the silence with his friend. But today he had a lot on his mind, and it didn't seem fair to leave his best friend in the dark.

"Good morning, Obito." The former ANBU shifted uncomfortably; his voice was the only thing penetrating the general calm. But he continued. "I've been having weird dreams lately. Actually, I first had one as a child when my…before I changed for the worse. But these dreams, they've always been few and far in between. They're becoming more frequent nowadays.

"There's always this man in all of them. Each situation is different, but it's always the same man. But I don't know who he is. I never see his face. I hear his voice and his body, but nothing identifiable. Except perhaps," Kakashi paused to take a breath here, "his eyes, they're…unique. I actually can't tell what color they are." His visible eye crinkled and he chuckled a bit before continuing. "They're unbearably clear, pure. And they look so familiar…it's unnerving."

Dark eyes lit up. He remembered something important. He bowed over to the memorial. "Forgive me for not being here for so long and suddenly telling you these pointless things. I'm sorry...that I haven't stopped by often recently. Hokage has me going on a lot of missions nowadays. I think she's afraid I'm suddenly going to keel over and she's milking me for what I'm worth." He smiled again.

"According to Tsunade, Naruto's coming back soon." Kakashi immediately stiffened. He'd come across awkward territory without even realizing it. This wasn't exactly something he had intended to think about—or talk about. His head dropped and spoke no more.

At a sloth-like pace, the jounin fell into the river of time, and rode the lone current that would lead him backwards. Back before Sasuke's defection, before Team Seven, before the loss of those he loved most, to the times when _they_ were a team. He desperately hung onto that time when they were all alive, able to feel emotions like happiness and sadness, and be able to share those feelings with those around them. He saw them all again: Rin and her tendency to worry too much, Minato-sensei and his gentle firmness, Obito's idiocy and habit to blow things way out of proportion. And even when the memories came to Obito's death, it was thoroughly welcomed; He relived those moments again and again and again.

His consciousness drifted so far into the past that when he returned to the present, only half of him came back. There was a reason why he always seemed a little out of it, after all.

o-x-o-x-o

"Naruto! Hang on! We're almost there."

The boy groaned. He was covered in crumbling leaves, dried mud caked on various parts of his outfit. His blue eyes were dark and out of focus. He looked ready to pass out. "But I'm hungry…"

Yamato's lips curved in amusement. "I had asked if you wanted to stop and eat for lunch, but you said you were too excited to get home," he recapped.

"But it's been a long time since I was _home_," he said, the last word rolling off his tongue with relish. "I wanted to get there as soon as possible." The boy scratched at a stripe of dirt along his chin.

"It's only been two years, not a big deal compared to your three years with Jiraiya."

Naruto sighed exasperatedly. "You don't get it."

"I suppose I don't."

"Any day without ramen is a day wasted. I still can't believe you wouldn't let me eat it just once either…" and he began mumbling a soliloquy, slowly forgetting the other's presence.

His companion only shook his head, thoroughly bemused. Ramen wasn't exactly a meal one could eat on the go, which they were, often. It wasn't exactly _his_ fault. Although perhaps he had a duty to reward the young boy (not quite a man yet, Yamato thought, so boy fit him better) for holding out for so long.

"Ah, Naruto, would you like me to treat you to Ichiraku as soon as we're back in Konoha and finished with the typical business?"

A loud whoop whistled through the trees. Yamato sighed. The kid was hopeless. And so was he, after realizing the amount of money he'd be spending on the teen…Yamato groaned to himself. He was getting soft since he left the ANBU. Perhaps it was time for a refresher course. Looking over at Naruto again, he smiled slightly.

A disdainful glance was cast in the Jinchuuriki's direction, smile still in place. It was a look only someone like Yamato could pull off. "You know you're going to have to take a bath beforehand."

"No way! Tenzou-san, I'm _starved_. Ramen first, cleanliness later," Naruto spouted, as if it was the world's unspoken motto.

"Mm, that reminds me. When we're back in Konoha—"

"I know, I know," the seventeen, almost eighteen year old brushed off his senior with a wave of his hand. "You're Yamato-taichou. I don't know your real name. Got it. Sheesh. My attention span isn't that horrible…"

Yamato resisted the urge to snort. "I'm glad you at least remember that," he drawled. "And we're making a quiet entrance. No loud shouts."

"What the hell?! I'm not a goddamn kid!"

"Exactly. Nothing like that, Naruto."

The boy huffed and crossed his arms. "It's not like I could make a big entrance anyway, with this hair." He brought up an arm to tug at the coal-black spikes on top of his head. "Can't wait to wash it out…"

Yamato tilted an eyebrow, a hint of a smile on his face. "Something wrong with dark, _normal_ hair?" Naruto imagined that he heard ominous rumbling in the distance.

"No, of course not! Dark hair is great, more than great!" Naruto hiccupped. It was just the two of them, and he doubted that anyone in Konoha would dare lift a finger to a miffed Yamato. "I'm just…not going to say any more now," he trailed off.

The Mokuton user shook his head, a true smile fully apparent. "Never mind. Just do whatever you like until we get to Konoha. Uzumaki Naruto has been missing, in a sense, for almost two years after all."

"Thanks, Tenzou-san," he replied. "But it's alright. I like Amano Akira just as much as I like Uzumaki Naruto." His trademark grin appeared again, and he stretched his arms towards the sky. "Look, the gates of Konoha!"

Naruto suddenly stopped dead in his tracks, cracked a few bones in his neck, shook out his limbs, and inhaled deeply. Closing his eyes, and mumbling quietly for a few moments, he opened his eyes but they were a bit softer and self-assured in a different way. The teen winked at his traveling companion before disappearing into his character. In a demure, barely-heard voice he said,

"Amano Akira desu. Yoroshiku."

Yamato only shook his head again. He'd play along with this game. After letting the guardsmen recognize his forehead protector so they could pass, he pulled up his hood. As they made their way to the Hokage's office, he watched in silent amusement the looks his charge was receiving from a few young girls. The boy didn't notice anything since his eyes were looking downwards; the stunning blue of them would give away his charade. But 'Akira' gave off that enigmatic aura girls liked to fawn over. And Naruto had inherited his father's relatively good looks, so it was inevitable that this would happen.

When they passed by an obviously overworking Shizune, she looked up at the sound of their steps and her coal-black eyes widened at the sight of Yamato. Her gaze questioned him, asking where Naruto was. He cocked his head to the dark-haired boy at his side. Shizune's jaw dropped and she obviously wanted to say something, but he stopped her with a devious smile and put his finger to his lips. It took her a moment, but when she figured out their plan she shook her head and returned to her work, with a minute change in her demeanor. As they made their way to the Hokage' office, Shizune called out "Tsunade-sama, there's two disgustingly dirty men here to see you!"

The mentioned men winced. That was a bit of a harsh welcome back, Yamato thought.

"What's this nonsense, Shizune?" Tsunade sighed. She turned around from the window when the door opened, revealing her visitors. The sight perplexed her immensely. "Tenzou? I thought you'd be back later this week. Where's Naruto? Who's this?" Her attention shifted to the timid-looking brunette standing alongside him, eyes downcast.

"Amano Akira desu. Yoroshiku," the boy's voice was soft, and she had to strain to hear it.

What was going on? Her eyes narrowed into thin slits. Something was off here. "Where's Naruto?"

"I killed him."

"**What?"**

But when he looked up and brilliant sapphire twinkled mischievously at her, she wasn't sure what exactly she should do. So she opted for the jaw-dropping-eye-popping-utter-disbelief look. Yamato — who had been standing on the sidelines— relished the moment, seeing his Godaime being duped into silence.

The teen grinned at her, fully revealing his identity. "Hi, Tsunade-baachan." His voice was deep and confident now, but held that lilt and gravelly tone Naruto had naturally possessed as a child. He took advantage of her shock and gave her a quick hug. She returned it limply before stepping back again, sizing him up.

"N-Naruto? Is that…real?" Her shock was so intense she missed the typical "shut up and don't call me that." Naruto snickered.

"You mean, is it not a henge? Then yes. I'm not as good as you are at chakra control after all. (although I've gotten much, much better)! But the hair's dyed, and I'm wearing some powder on my face."

Tsunade cocked an eyebrow. "Powder? Like makeup?"

He only shrugged. "You told me to, in a way. Can't have my badass whisker marks be the death of me."

The blonde woman sighed. "I'm happy you two are back, that's all. Now, I need a rep—"

A loud grumble blared through her office. The two adults turned to Naruto, who chuckled awkwardly.

The Godaime smirked, and closed her eyes. "Hungry, Naruto?" she asked wryly. "Go eat or something, for gods' sake."

The teen charged out the door.

"But don't forget to clean yourself up!" Yamato and Tsunade called after him.

"Aw damn it!"

o-x-o-x-o

It was dusk when Kakashi finally pulled himself out of his reverie. Seeing as he had nothing to do that day (or rather, had nothing he had been assigned to do), why not spend it all with his best friend? Yawning lazily, he stood up, brushed off a little dirt from his clothes and set off with no ambition. But he _was_ a bit hungry, and his bento turned out to be crappy anyways. A stop in town might be a good idea.

Somehow his legs traced their way to Ichiraku, and Kakashi couldn't help but wonder if he was a bit masochistic or just liked a challenge. Avoiding something was a little—screw that, a lot— harder if one went to places that screamed "REMEMBER!" But what the hell. He was hungry, and it was cheap. Take-out was always an option, maybe. He _did_ have a way with words after all.

Ayame's face lit up when the copy-nin entered. He was hazily aware of her attraction to him, but he never really felt a need to do anything about it as long as she didn't. "Hatake-san! What a nice surprise. Is there anything I can help you out with?"

"Miso, please," he said automatically, never pausing to think about it. "Can I get it for take-out?"

"That's crazy! Ramen should always be savored!"

Kakashi froze, his visible eye shaken of its sleepy look. A lithe, muscular arm draped itself over his shoulder. He turned to his right. The man had dusty brownish blonde hair, but his clear ocean-blue eyes were a dead giveaway. No one else in this world had eyes like those. Well, no one alive.

At a loss for words, Kakashi could only stammer. "N-n-naruto?"

Naruto cocked his head to the side and beamed, brightening the atmosphere by tens of watts.

"Missed me, Kakashi-sensei?"

o-x-o-x-o

**Disclaimer: **Naruto belongs exclusively to Masashi Kishimoto, not me.

Hi. I'm Vi, nice to meet you. Welcome to Confluence, my first multi-chapter Naruto fanfic. Confluence is something I've had for a while, but I've been revising and editing it a lot. I promised myself I wouldn't post anything until I finished the whole thing, but I'd like to get some feedback.

Just some information and I'd like to get across: No, it's not a time-travel fic. Yes, Naruto will still be spunky and determined. No, Kakashi doesn't have his shit together. Yes, the pairing is Kakashi/Naruto. No, I'm not a very good writer. Yes, I try really hard to tell a story.

Still interested?

So please drop a review and tell me what you think. Even if it's harsh, I'm not going to kill myself if someone doesn't like it, I assure you. Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed!

Ja ne,

Vi


	2. Dinner

Confluence

By Violet Garnets

**Chapter Two: Dinner**

o-x-o-x-o

"Naruto-kun! Welcome back!" Ayame smiled warmly at him, and it wasn't the one she used with other customers. "Otou-san will be so glad to know you're back."

Naruto tilted his head to the right in a questioning manner. "You mean the old man's still alive?"

Kakashi and his former student ducked just in time to miss freshly-sharpened cooking knives thrown in their general direction. The knives hit the wall with ringing twangs.

"Even now you can't respect your elders, you little turd?"

"Otou-san!" Ayame scolded harshly. "That's no way to welcome our favorite customer."

Kakashi didn't miss the slight blush that graced the boy's face when he heard Ayame's comment. Behind his mask, he smiled, but just barely.

Teuchi emerged from the back room, his face knit together tightly. "He won't be the favorite if he keeps dashing off to unknown places without telling. And this boy looks nothing like the crazy kid we had running around here a few years ago. His hair's even different."

"Sorry, can't help it," Naruto grinned. "I had to dye it. Official shinobi business, you know. Maa, maa," the Jinchuuriki looked around. He finally released his hold on Kakashi's shoulder. "Where is everyone?" He had a point. No one but Kakashi, Naruto, and the store owners were present.

Ayame answered. "Everyone's preparing for the festival, Naruto-kun. I thought you would know that."

"What festival?" Naruto's eyes scrunched up in confusion.

Kakashi felt a need to chime in. For the time being, he needed to ignore that uncomfortable feeling in the back of his head. "It's the daimyo's birthday in a few days, Naruto." He relished the feel of the name on his tongue, now that he had time to think about it. It had been quite a while.

"Oh. Oh well. Can I have some ramen now? I'm starved!"

The three older ones shook their heads. Even if he was nearing adulthood, Naruto was still Naruto. Ayame and Teuchi went to make the ramen. When it was done, they placed the bowls in front of their only customers and then went to make more. When their favorite customer said he was starving, he meant it.

Naruto laughed devilishly. "Itadakimasu!" he shouted with a flourish of his chopsticks. But the noodles stopped midway when he looked over to his former sensei. "Kakashi-sensei? Why aren't you eating?"

"Hmm?" asked the silver-haired man sleepily. "I don't know."

"Is it because of your mask? I mean, no one's here. And I need to see your face eventually! Come on sensei, let me see! I've known you for all these years. That's not fair."

A smile appeared underneath the spoken-of mask. It was comforting how easily Naruto slipped back into normalcy. Whatever that was for Konoha. "There are others I've known longer and haven't seen my face," he noted dryly.

"Kakashi-sensei…" the boy drawled. "Please?"

"Your ramen's getting cold."

Naruto pouted, but ate his noodles.

In reality, Kakashi had been examining his former student. Kakashi had to agree with Teuchi. This was certainly not the boy from two years ago. And it wasn't just the hair color. The hair was a little longer, and jutted out of a thick black headband with Naruto's shining hitai-ate on it. The arm that wrapped around Kakashi's shoulder just a few minutes ago was well defined, like any shinobi's arm should be. Any remaining childishness from the (normally) blonde's face was essentially gone. His cheekbones were sharply defined so that his whiskers had to stretch over them; his whole face was more angular. The teen was quite handsome, Kakashi had to admit. Not the kind where girls would swoon over him like Sasuke (damn, wrong person to think of) but good-looking enough.

Naruto had even ditched the flashy orange…mostly. At present, he wore black pants and a matching long-sleeved shirt. But intricate and large orange swirls trailed down the boy's left arm, and he wore simple orange sandals. The boy (Kakashi didn't really want to call him a man yet) had a deeper voice, strikingly similar to his father's, but a little higher in pitch and less fluid. This was almost a new person. The only things that kept Kakashi acknowledging this person as Uzumaki Naruto were the mischievous sapphire eyes singular to the boy he once taught. The one-time sensei never felt his age as strongly as he did now— Naruto had grown up, so Kakashi must be growing old.

He couldn't help himself. Pulling up his hand, Kakashi leaned over to ruffle Naruto's hair, just like old times. It was a bit of compensation for the overload of change in front of him. When Naruto stuck his tongue out and looked at Kakashi grumpily; it was reassuring. No matter how different this person looked, he was still the little boy Kakashi found had changed his life in the subtlest of ways. It was ironic that Konoha's loudmouth could actually do something subtly, he thought. Kakashi's uncovered fingers pulled lightly on a few strands, simply relishing the smoothness. His eye took in the tawny light brown color, smiling at the blonde ends. How cute.

"It was black a few hours ago," Naruto said randomly. "My hair, I mean. I had to wash it five times in baa-chan's special shampoo or whatever just to get it to this shade." He huffed and mumbled some more under his breath, most likely complaining about it some more.

"Black, was it…" the Copy-nin repeated softly. He tried to picture it in his head: bright blue eyes coupled with dark black hair. But somehow he couldn't. A searing pain shot through his head, images flashing over overlapping one another. Naruto, Minato-sensei, Obito, Minato wearing goggles, Naruto with Sharingan eyes, Obito with whisker marks, and underlying all of them was an intensity of _something_. It was a split second, but he thought he saw a young man with bright, passionate eyes. A jolt flew through him and he realized he was falling. Luckily for him, Naruto had caught his arm before his head hit the ground and pulled him back up.

Blue eyes darkened. "Are you all right, Kakashi-sensei? What happened?"

"I don't know," he coughed. The jounin rubbed his temples with his hands as he leaned over the counter. "Naruto, start talking about something, anything." The visions were still impressed into his head, switching back and forth, although with less force than before. He hoped that the blonde talking would take his mind away from those images.

Surprisingly, Naruto didn't ask any more questions and did what he asked. "Um, well, Tenz— I mean, Yamato-taichou said he'd be here. But I think he ditched me, probably to go take care of his greenhouse or whatever. D'you know he wouldn't stop talking about them while we were away? He just goes on and on—"

Tenzou crying over his plants at his home was not something new to Kakashi. 'Yamato' had even given Kakashi numerous houseplants, but the copy-nin never could keep them alive. It wasn't until Ukki-san, the plant Naruto gave him, that Kakashi had any success with plants. Even back in their ANBU years during missions, Tenzou would muse to himself over the state of his bonsai or something similar. It would have been more annoying if not for the Mokuton user's extraordinary ability to successfully complete missions without a hitch. It was a good memory, something real, something that pushed those surreal things out of his mind.

"That's good. Keep going, Naruto." Kakashi could begin to make out the whorls on the counter.

"All right. Um… I forgot what I was just talking about."

Kakashi could now trace the outline of the ramen noodles in front of him. He smiled lightly. Of course he should have known better than to interrupt. "Doesn't matter. Go on to something else then."

"Oh. Okay. Let's see…I learned something really cool while I was away! Do you think I could show it to you before I appear before those ass— I mean, the "venerable elders"? I think you'd like to see it. Plus I made something for you as well. Are you okay now, Kakashi-sensei?"

Memories of past training and Naruto's "cool surprises" popped up. Good. They were solid, stable images. Not like what he just experienced. Now he could clearly see everything. He took a deep breath and looked up at his former student.

"I think I'm fine. Thank you Naruto."

Blue eyes brightened. "Anytime sensei!" he chirped. "But have you been getting enough sleep?"

Kakashi cocked his head to the side and his visible eye twinkled. "Yes. I don't know what happened. It's not a big deal Naruto, don't worry about it."

"If you're sure…"

"Naruto, it's my job as sensei to take care of you, not the other way around."

The blue-eyed one pursed his lips. "But technically, you're not my sensei anymore."

"Then why do you still call me Kakashi-sensei?"

He shrugged. "It's like a nickname, unless you want me to call you something like Kashi, or Kaka, or maybe Kakkun?" He tapped his chin with his finger, looking pensive. "They're all good choices…"

The elder one winced. Touché, Naruto. "Kakashi-sensei is fine. Kakashi-sama is preferable."

"When hell freezes over, _Kakashi_."

"Now that's too familiar," the grey-haired man said faux-sternly.

"Do you want me to constantly remind you that you're _old_?"

Wow, Kakashi thought, Naruto was actually managing to hold a witty argument. But after his sporadic episode, this was giving him a little headache. "On second thought, Kakashi or Kakashi-sensei is fine," he conceded.

Naruto smirked smugly. His expression was soon replaced by one of revelation. "Oh!" he exclaimed. "We should probably get home; I think baa-chan wants me to meet her early in the morning tomorrow."

"Really? I need to as well. Shall we go?" Kakashi began to pull out his wallet from his back pocket, but found that his arm was suddenly gripped by a strong hand.

"I can pay tonight."

Kakashi's eye widened. "You actually have money for once?" He was genuinely surprised, but he sounded quite sarcastic.

"Shut up, old man," he grumbled as he opened his wallet (a new one as well, but it still had a tiny frog sticker on it) and took out the proper amount of money.

"Somehow 'old man' is more preferable than Kakkun."

Naruto laughed, and Kakashi could see the relief in the boy's posture. Good. He didn't need to be worried about, really. The two walked out together, Naruto with a lightness to his step.

"TADAIMA, KONOHA!" he yelled.

"Naruto…" Kakashi scolded. "People are trying to rest now. Even for eighteen, you're still so obnoxious."

Naruto stuck his tongue out at him in response.

"But I guess it's sort of cute."

Kakashi counted the seconds it took for Naruto to process what he just said: six.

"Wait, what?" Blue eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. "Is this like when you told me you thought you were falling in love with me?" Naruto squinted up at the older man, attempting to look like an intimidating interrogator.

Kakashi smirked again. It was weird how a few hours with Naruto made up for all the smiles he never smiled in the three years without the boy. "Yes," was the simple reply.

"You're weird, sensei."

"I know."

Naruto looked away.

The two walked side by side to Kakashi's apartment in silence. The jounin assumed Naruto would want to take in the sights of Konoha like that, and his assumption proved true. Neither of them felt uncomfortable, each happy just to have the other in their presence. But as they neared the apartment, Naruto couldn't contain himself.

"I really missed everything about Konoha."

Kakashi, unsure how to respond, replied with a vague grunt.

"Sakura-chan, Baa-chan, Iruka-sensei…"

The older man pressed the back of his hand to his forehead and sighed pitifully. "What? Didn't miss me? I'm hurt, Naruto."

"To be honest," Naruto said as he slowed to a stop, "I think I might have— Oh look! We're here." The teen chuckled sheepishly. It was dark, but Kakashi thought he saw a faint red on the boy's face under the street light. "I guess I should go home now. See you later, sensei." The dusky blonde walked away briskly, leaving his former teacher staring at his back, his eyebrows furrowed in mild confusion. Nevertheless, he didn't take his gaze away until the blonde disappeared behind the corner.

Then his stomach grumbled, and Kakashi realized he _still_ hadn't eaten. He sighed and rolled his eyes before hopping up the stairs to his humble abode to raid his kitchen, hoping fervently that he still had some food left.

After a meager meal of cheap store-packaged onigiri, Kakashi went to bed and dreamt lightly.

_Kakashi was swimming. The sun was bright, cheerful. The lake was vast and seemingly endless. Little ribbons of seaweed tickled his feet. _

"_I'll race you!" A voice called from the shore._

"_Only if you can get over here," he shouted back._

_He heard a splash, waited exactly four seconds before using his broad arms to swim towards the island in the middle. A gurgled yell came from behind, but he swam onwards._

_Once reaching his destination, Kakashi splayed himself across the sand and sighed. The sun prickled at his wet back._

"_You cheated—" the male behind him choked. _

_He only laughed. "There's no rule about not taking advantage of my beautifully long body."_

"_Shut up," the other grumbled before sprawling out beside him._

"_Where's Kusano?" he asked nonchalantly._

"_Said he didn't like water." _

_Kakashi made a noncommittal noise, and then fell silent, listened to the sloshing of the water at their feet. The other rolled over on top of him, head resting on his neck._

"_Get off, fat ass." Kakashi mumbled._

_So the male removed his lower half off, leaving his head and arms there. "My ass is off now."_

_He gave up, sighing. The weather was too nice to bicker with this pain in the ass of a boy._

Kakashi woke up remembering nothing of the dream, save for the name 'Kusano' and a very soft breath of warmth on his neck. He sighed. _One more thing to add to the list of dreams._ They were so vivid, so real. He couldn't remember all of the dreams, but he did remember what they felt like. But that was something to worry about for another time.

He got out of bed, preparing to meet the Godaime.

o-x-o-x-o

And there's chapter two! Hope you enjoyed. Thank you so much for all the reviews, favorites, and story alerts! You don't know how appreciated that is. I think you all are absolutely fantastic. And because I forgot last time:

**DISCLAIMER**: The Naruto universe and characters belong to the talented Masashi Kishimoto. I, in no way, am making any profit on this story whatsoever and do this purely for entertainment.

So, that's my one and only disclaimer. I won't say it again, because it'll be implicitly stated with every chapter.

Life is really much better after you've watched Junjou Romantica and listened to Miyagi You's seiyu muttering sexual—I mean, silly things. Really. If you didn't know, he happens to be Kakashi's voice actor. (lecherous grin) Anyway, please tell me what you thought!

Ja ne,

Vi


	3. Getting Back Into Rhythm

Confluence

By Violet Garnets

**Chapter Three: Getting Back into Rhythm**

**o-x-o-x-o**

Killing intent nearly bowled Kakashi over as he opened the door to Hokage's office. Two blondes glared at him, their hair standing on end.

"You're late…" Tsunade and Naruto hissed.

Kakashi cringed. "So you got the color out of your hair, Naruto," he noted the boy's bright golden locks attracting his eye.

"**Don't change the subject!**"

Beads of perspiration on Kakashi's forehead formed as the levels of killing intent soared. He still couldn't help a snippy little comment escape. "Well, don't get your panties in a bunch—" He realized his mistake far too late.

Several kunai whizzed towards him, pinning him to the wall helplessly. One happened to cut a few strands of his silver hair off. He winced, and his forehead became damp with sweat.

On the other side of the room, Tsunade gave Naruto an approving smile. "Your aim's improved."

Naruto only gave a sweeping bow in response.

"Now, let's get to work. While a certain jounin was asleep or doing whatever the hell he was doing, Naruto gave me an extensive report along with Yamato," Tsunade folded her arms over her chest and looked at Kakashi.

Kakashi cocked his head to the side. His temple brushed against the cold of a kunai, so he retracted his head to its original position. "Oh. Cool. Where is Yamato anyway?"

"Yamato-taichou went home. He was here the whole night, talking with me." Tsunade turned around to face the windows. "Kakashi, you understand what you have to do, yes?"

He nodded, even though the Hokage obviously couldn't see. "Yes. Prepare the little one for his exhibition."

"Hey! I grew! You're just freakishly large," Naruto retaliated.

Tsunade happened to turn back around in time to see Naruto's tongue sticking out. She sighed, and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Honestly, you're eighteen years old, Naruto. And yet you still act like you're thirteen."

The blonde in question shrugged and grinned impishly.

"I give up," the woman decided. "Naruto, get Kakashi down from there. Then you two head over to somewhere you can start working. Now move!" She screamed the last bit with such sharpness that the two men were down and out within seconds.

As soon as they were gone, she smiled gently. It was nice to see the two of them back together. Kakashi had been too quiet for too long.

"Ah, Kakashi-sensei? Where's Sakura-chan?"

"The last I heard she was in Sand again. After she saved Kankurou's life, they've become really interested in Konoha medicine. She's picking up much from them as well," Kakashi replied.

"Oh…do you know when she'll be back?" Naruto asked, attempting to be as casual as possible.

Kakashi suppressed a smile. "Soon." He felt… proud, for some reason. He had managed to craft a team that truly cared and supported one another. Sasuke was the exception, but as long as the teammates of the defected one believed he could be redeemed, he would hope as well.

"Jeez, you're really annoying when you're vague," Naruto huffed.

The jounin simply shrugged in response. "Maa, we're here. So, what should we start with?"

"Hell if I know."

"Thanks for being such a big help," Kakashi muttered dryly. But it didn't quite matter anyway. They'd get around to everything eventually. "How's your taijutsu?"

Naruto winced apologetically. "It's…better. Not really up to par yet. I'm nearly there though, I swear!"

Kakashi closed his eyes and sighed. "At least you know that you need to work on it. How about ninjutsu?"

The blonde's mood brightened. "Amazing." He said smugly. "Yamato-taichou has been helping me hone the water element. I've got a ton of new ones, including another Rasengan!"

"Is it as… destructive as…?"

"Shuriken Rasengan? No, it's even crazier!"

Kakashi blanched.

The teen almost giggled, nearly girlishly. "Kidding, sensei. It's got much more finesse."

"Something you severely lack in most cases," the silver-haired man mumbled under his breath.

"I heard that!"

"So? It's true. We'll take a look at those later then. What about genjutsu? Can you perform any now?"

Naruto shrugged. "I can do the basic ones, and a few more skilled ones. I don't really think it's my thing."

"That's fine. The only important thing is that you can break a genjutsu, especially with…" Kakashi hesitated to finish. "…who we're up against."

The blonde showed no sign of discomfort, only a certain look Kakashi couldn't quite describe. However, he almost thought he heard the sliding of steel, somewhere in the recesses of his mind.

Kakashi felt like slapping himself on the head. Of course Naruto would be over that stage. It had been years since Sasuke had left. Now the name was more like a memory of his promise than it was actually attached to a human. But as long as his former student pursued that goal, Kakashi would be there to spot the kid when he fell.

"To tie into breaking genjutsu as well as your final test for the exhibition, I need to know how your chakra control has improved, Naruto."

The blonde only smiled and pulled out a scroll from seemingly nowhere. With a few simple hand seals, a bow, a thick glove similar to the ones ANBU wore, and a quiver of arrows appeared after a little puff of smoke dissipated. "Ta-da!"

"Kyudo?" Kakashi raised an eyebrow, caught between skeptical and impressed. Archery was a rare form nowadays, as shinobi opted for more efficient, modern weapons. But the bow had a certain elegance to it, and the man had a feeling it was a weapon that worked well for the young blonde.

Naruto nodded once, quite energetically, as he slipped his right hand into the glove. He stretched out his fingers to flex the muscles. "We passed some school my second year gone and Yamato-taichou was inspired. Honestly, it helped a lot. Ready?"

The atmosphere suddenly shifted as Naruto assumed a serious expression. Slinging the quiver of arrows over his shoulder, he proceeded to pick up the bow. It seemed to rise and meet his hand, as if there was a magnet between the bow and the wielder. "Pick a target, sensei."

With no trace of hesitancy, Kakashi pointed to a wooden pole about thirty feet away. "That shouldn't be too difficult, right?"

"Not at all."

Naruto closed his eyes and breathed slowly, carefully, for a while. Every inhale, every exhale, burgeoned with a careful deliberation. Kakashi stood to the side and watched with a calm detachment— even though he was quite keen on seeing what would happen next. He waited patiently for a handful of minutes. Then, Kakashi could feel it: a spike in his student's chakra levels. It was subtle, but evident nonetheless. It pulsated, slowly at first, but then accelerated exponentially, to the point where a blazing aura slowly appeared around the boy.

The blonde seemed to read Kakashi's mind. "Don't worry, sensei, there's no need to move back," Naruto gasped, his voice cracking under the strain.

Suddenly, the boy grabbed an arrow and strung it with one fluid motion, as if it was far simpler than it really was. Naruto's eyes snapped open, and Kakashi from his side-view noticed slender streaks of red snaking in the sapphire iris, constantly moving in different directions, converging and diverging at the same time. With a loud snap, the arrow left the bow and whizzed towards the pole, burning a freakish orange as it went. It went clean through the tree, but just as it made it to the other side, the orange fire consumed it completely and the arrow was no more.

Kakashi's eye trailed back to the pole, and there was no way he could mask his shock. The pole was only a shadow of its previous figure. Long curls of dark smoke spiraled upwards, and an opaque resin bled out of the wood like blood.

It was burning from the inside out. And the arrow only made _one_ clean-cut, miniscule hole in the wood.

"The arrow disappears, and the hole made is small. Besides, no one uses the bow and arrow anymore. Very few people would know that a yumi caused the damage, let alone one fused with highly toxic chakra. Even if I missed – and I rarely ever do nowadays – the chakra would still cause some damage," Naruto said, his voice just barely even. "Pretty cool, right?" He added with a tired grin.

His teacher nodded, the gears in his heads slowly turning. "But…you can't quicken your focus, can you?"

Naruto opened his mouth to speak, but hesitated and frowned, as if re-thinking what he wanted to say. "No," he finally admitted, "Kyuubi won't merge, so I have to take what I need by force." He paused again. "I guess I sound like a dick for saying it like that."

"What did you think being a shinobi meant?"

"A…hero, I guess."

"Well, you usually end up being both."

Naruto and Kakashi then chuckled at the same time— sharp, humorless laughs. Before allowing them to get too wrapped up in their personal thoughts, Kakashi clapped his hands together.

"Ah, well, you've made a lot of progress. I'm really proud of you, Naruto, I am." He was sincere, and he knew Naruto knew that he meant it when a glowing blush graced the teen's face. As much as the boy liked to brag about his own merit, he always seemed to act completely the opposite when someone else complimented him. It was pretty cute, he had to admit. Kakashi wondered if his teacher thought the same thing when he and his team were younger. Probably.

Now that the initial overview was done with, it was time to really get to work. "Let's start with some taijutsu," Kakashi declared as he pushed off his foot and sped towards Naruto, with a glaring intent to kill. Happily, Naruto slipped into a fighting stance immediately and the training began.

Kakashi wasn't sure if he should be surprised that Naruto's self-critique turned out to be so extremely accurate. When the boy said that his taijutsu was better but not quite up to scratch, he had expected quite a subpar performance. Naruto did tend to exaggerate. Of course, Kakashi had also forgotten the standards Naruto held himself to. Long gone were his days of boasting, at least when it was important to be honest. Naruto was honestly quite good, but some more brushing up never hurt.

"Stop wasting time with adding those showy moves. There's no need to spin around twice after your high kicks. Once should be enough to regain control of your momentum."

"But it looks _badass_, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto did it again to illustrate his point.

"When you find a useful cause for your extra spin, feel free to do as you like."

The blonde groaned and muttered underneath his breath. Kakashi simply shook his head. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he felt like Naruto was stalling. These were simple, nothing new. The kid was seventeen now anyway, he should at least the basic dos and don'ts of jutsus.

But even if he was just extending the time they had, Kakashi didn't mind. It had been three years since he had seen his student after all. With his constant assignments and Sakura's devotion to her missions, he found little time to spend with her. And Sasuke…well, that one was obvious. Where had the days gone, when Team Seven was so much simpler?

Kakashi sighed. This habit of nostalgia was dangerous. He needed to stay focused on Naruto, the only one right here with him. "Hey, Naruto. Let's continue. And pick up the pace this time, or I'll have to call in the Green Giants of Youth."

"To hell you will!" And the blonde launched himself at Kakashi, beginning the second round of sparring.

It was well near sunset when Naruto finally won out the battle. During this time, it became obvious the kyudo helped the blonde's chakra control. It seemed like the boy could win any battle through endurance alone now, and they had left ninjutsu out of this particular spar. Kakashi never had much chakra to begin with, and it was only through his refined skills that he managed to go for that long. Age was taking its toll on him, he realized, as his back popped slightly. But as a teacher, he was more than pleased to see his student advance so far. Although he was beginning to wonder why Naruto had been stalling earlier on…

A slow series of claps broke through. Naruto and Kakashi shifted into defensive stances, but relaxed quickly when they realized who it was.

"Welcome back, Naruto!" Sakura shouted as she hurried towards them. There was a sort of hesitancy to both of them, Kakashi noticed, but they overcame it quickly and Naruto pulled her into a tight hug. The height difference between them was even more pronounced, and Naruto seemed to pick her up easily. The young woman laughed and ruffled his hair.

Kakashi smiled, but for some reason his heart felt as if it was being pulled in multiple directions. He ignored it. "I trust that Sand has been good to you, Sakura, but it's nice to have you back."

"Hey, sensei," she giggled, breaking out of Naruto's embrace. "Good to be back. Although I wish a certain psychotic ninja hadn't returned to spoil this marvelous, innocent, beautiful village."

"Hey now!"

Sakura smirked and flipped her hair before continuing. "Sand is doing fine. Gaara's taking excellent care of things and communications between Sand and other regions have increased. The Sand medics have taken a liking to me too," she added with a wink.

Kakashi chuckled and shook his head, strangely relieved. Naruto jumped in predictably with prodding questions. "Who? I've got competition? Is it Kankurou?"

"No. Shut up, Naruto. You're not even a competitor."

Naruto stuck his tongue out, earning himself a punch to the arm—one that sent him flying into a tree. A colorful stream of language could be heard from the branches, and birds answered his call. Kakashi did his best not to snicker. Sakura did so openly. While the blonde scrambled down the tree, his teammate began to speak to their teacher, never taking her eyes off of the blonde.

"Is he ready?"

"More than ready. Just needs some polishing up."

"As always. They're most likely going to want to see him within the month."

"I know. I'm expecting the earliest at the end of the week."

Sakura 'hmmed' and folded her arms; the topic was dropped. Naruto pranced his way back to his teammates with a cheery grin, as if he had never been pounded into a large tree.

"Kakashi, I'm hungry!" The blonde bawled. "Can we go eat now?"

Her eyes sparkling like emeralds, Sakura smiled. "I'm actually feeling pretty hungry myself. Will you join us, Kakashi-san?"

The words came out of Kakashi's mouth before he could stop himself. "No, I wouldn't want to intrude on a date." As soon as he said it, the jounin felt a pang of…regret. Odd.

Surprisingly, it was a scratchy voice that responded. "Ridiculous! You should definitely join us." Naruto shouted, and an expression of shock immediately appeared on his face. It was as if he hadn't expected himself to say it.

A silence ensued, broken quickly by Sakura's laugh. "Sure," she said between giggles, "that's fine. Is the new restaurant fine?"

"There's a new restaurant?" Naruto cocked his head to the side.

"Yeah, it opened about a year ago. The okonomiyaki there is fantastic."

"Okonomiyaki-ya! Let's go!" With that, the blonde dashed off.

Sakura stifled a chuckle and shouted after him. "Moron! You don't know where it is." She looked over at Kakashi and sent him a bemused smile. "Do you think he'll ever change?"

His eyes had been focused on Naruto the entire time, and even as he replied to her question he stared at the young man. "I hope not."

"Me too, sensei. So, shall we go?" Grabbing the end of his sleeve, she toted him along. "If we go any slower, the place will get crowded!"

Kakashi allowed himself to be pulled along, and thought distantly of the few meals he had with old friends, long ago.

**o-x-o-x-o**

Thank you all for your kind reviews, alerts, favorites, and whatnot. It is always, always appreciated. The monthly update is really working well for me, as I don't feel too rushed to push out a product and therefore am able to give you guys as best a piece I can. I hope you all are enjoying it. I know the pace is a little slow, and I warn you in advance that it will be like this for quite a while. I've got a few things I need to work out, plot-wise, before getting into the real action— or lemons.

Reviews, praise, or flames will always be loved.

Ja ne,

Vi


	4. Dinner, Again

Confluence

By Violet Garnets

**Chapter Four: Dinner, Again**

**o-x-o-x-o**

On a particular training ground in Konoha, two men battled their hearts out, and the air crackled with electricity-- literally.

Naruto just avoided a bolt of lightning as he sprinted to the right. The famous sound of a thousand cranes taking flight thundered in his ear and he could feel the penetrating heat graze across his side. A bead of sweat dripped down his temple; even after all these years, Kakashi was still the premier shinobi of Konoha.

"Not quite, Kakashi-sensei!" He yelled, obviously more for his own benefit than anything else. With that, he conjured up two shadow-clones. Working in tandem, they created a massive sphere of swirling, dark chakra. "Shuriken Rasengan!" The three hurled the ball at Kakashi, who dove out of its way. The Rasengan plowed into a section of trees, obliterating a great chunk of the area.

Taking refuge in the remaining trees, Kakashi took the spare moments to take a breath. Hell, he was getting old. Life had been rather kind to him, considering all things. Although he was a shinobi, the worst physical ailments were scars and joints that stiffened every now and then. But compared to Naruto's puerile agility, Kakashi struggled to keep up.

Just then, he heard a sharp twang. It was only a fraction of a second before he realized what was heading towards him. He diverted the arrow's direction with a well-aimed shuriken. It fell to the ground with a pitiful thump.

"Damn!" Naruto's voice came through the trees. "You weren't supposed to do that!"

"If it had been a chakra-infused one, you would've taken longer to complete the whole system. Your shortest time has been two minutes, so far."

Naruto swore again.

Kakashi came down from the tree with a graceful leap. His knee buckled slightly, but hardly noticeable.

"Good work, Naruto."

"Do you think I'm ready?" Naruto looked down, putting away the yumi with a few hand seals. It disappeared and a scroll took its place.

Kakashi cocked his head to the side. "Honestly," he sighed, "I have no idea what they're expecting from you. But I..." He paused and took a deep breath before starting again. "I think you're matching up to the greats of this village, Naruto. I mean it."

Naruto grinned, and his cheeks turned a faint pink. "Thanks, Kakashi."

Before he realized it, Kakashi had put his hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Your father would be proud"

The boy turned a darker shade of red and looked down at Kakashi's gloved hand.

The moment quickly grew awkward.

Kakashi soon found himself flushing as well. With a brusque movement, he let go of the blonde's shoulder and coughed. "Anyway..."

"Have they asked for me? The elders, I mean?" Naruto asked. His voice squeaked a little, but they both decided to ignore it.

"No, not yet. But it's been two weeks since you've returned. We should be expecting something soon. Perhaps today, or tomorrow. I'll let you know when they contact me."

"Contact you...the cowards. They can't even insult me to my face," he said, his eyes downcast.

"I know, Naruto. But we've got to fix that. As soon as they ask for you, we'll turn things around. I promise."

Naruto nodded. His gaze grew distant while a certain light crept into his eyes. By now, Kakashi had learned to recognize it, this same look that appeared when Kakashi mentioned Sasuke. Somewhere along the way, Naruto had learned to internalize those vocal promises he used to make. Now, those ambitions and dreams appeared only in his torrential blue eyes.

Kakashi wasn't quite sure what to think of this new change, except that Naruto was becoming more and more like Minato by the day.

"Well, you're free to go, Naruto."

Naruto jerked his head over, looking at Kakashi. "Go where?"

"We're done for the day. Aren't you going to dinner with Sakura? You've been eating with her every day." Kakashi winced at the tone by which he said the last bit; why did he sound so...resentful?

The blonde shrugged. "She had work to do today. Everyone does, actually. And I have no idea where the hell Sai is."

Kakashi let the corners of his mouth turn upward; almost a smile. "You'll get to join them all on missions soon enough."

"I know. I just want to get this damn test over with."

"Well, until then…go find someone to have dinner with."

"Why don't you come with me, sensei?"

Kakashi paused, his eyes widening slightly. "Me?"

"Sure, why not?" Naruto grinned. "We haven't eaten together since we went to the okonomiyaki-ya with Sakura."

"I don't really have money right now," Kakashi admitted. As much as he wanted to have dinner with Naruto, sometimes the fiscal matters took precedence.

The boy's bright smile faltered, but only for a brief moment. "Well, I can make dinner. I haven't done that in a while. You can help."

He raised an eyebrow. "What makes you think I know how to cook?"

"You would be a failure on missions if you couldn't make your own meals."

The jounin smiled. "True."

Naruto pointed a finger at his sensei. "You just make people think you can't, right?" he accused.

"Guilty as charged," he said, putting his hands up.

The blonde laughed and shook his head. "Wow. How is it that people believe you?"

"I'm a master of deceit."

"Well, cover's blown. Now you're going to come with me and help me make a meal." Although his tone dripped with confidence, the pink shade on his face told otherwise.

"Alright then."

So Kakashi followed his young charge down, a content smile hiding under his mask. Naruto talked all the way to the marketplace, talking about something or other; it wasn't anything too important, but the jounin could tell the blonde was doing it out of nervousness. But where that nervousness stemmed from, Kakashi couldn't quite tell.

At the marketplace itself, Naruto continued to talk through everything, mumbling about how poor the crop of bean sprouts were, or how when he was in Tea Country with Yamato-taichou some of the vendors kept the best meats tucked in the back and always needed prodding before they would bring it out. Kakashi still kept silent, just holding the increasing groceries as they walked. Naruto's face was still pink the entire time.

The sun was just beginning to set when Naruto had decided they had everything they needed for a decent dinner. They set off for Naruto's apartment and the boy finally fell silent. Kakashi chuckled to himself.

However, as they approached the apartment, they passed a group of men and women talking in hushed tones. Concern touched upon all their expressions.

"What's going on?" Naruto asked Kakashi, his voice soft.

"No idea. Let's move in closer." The two inched in, hiding behind a nearby corner.

One of the men sighed loudly, shaking his head. "Never would've thought it'd be like this."

"Nah, didn' think all the Uchihas would go crazy." An elderly man added. "I always hoped that Sasuke was jus' bidin' his time. He did kill Orochimaru, after all. Thought he was fakin' the defection thing."

"But to kill an innocent child? The Uchiha family has truly fallen," a woman sobbed.

Kakashi looked over to Naruto. The young man was shaking all over, tears threatening to spill.

"Let's go," he choked out.

He dashed away, running into the apartment complex. Kakashi, despite being burdened by all the groceries, followed quickly.

The apartment door was unlocked so Kakashi opened it with his foot. He set the groceries on the kitchen table before moving into the other room.

"Naruto?" he called out quietly, concentrating to find the boy's chakra, which was surprisingly muted.

"Here," was the husky reply. Naruto sat on the couch, his eyes directed at some point at the floor. He still shook all over and the fabric of his pants was wound tightly into his fists. Kakashi looked down at the ground and found that tears had made little splotches on the floor. He took a seat next to his student.

Stillness reigned in the room, taking its time to fill up every corner and crevice. Having seen too many shinobi hear news about dead friends for the first time, Kakashi kept quiet. For Naruto, this was the same thing as hearing that Sasuke had died.

"Why," Naruto breathed out, "am I so slow? I didn't..." He let out a gasp, and the sound of it made Kakashi's heart squirm. "I didn't get to him in time. Damn it, Sakura, I'm so sorry."

The teen's resolve fell apart, and he collapsed. His cries came out choked, hardly audible. Kakashi thought he could hear the boy's heart crumble.

He didn't think about it whatsoever. He just did it. He just pulled the blonde close to him in a strong embrace. Naruto welcomed it; he moved in closer towards the older man and grabbed a part of Kakashi's shirt, holding on it tightly.

"Naruto," Kakashi whispered. His voice was gentle, full of sincerity. He ran a gloved hand through the boy's golden strands of hair. "Listen to me. _You have done nothing wrong._ None of this is your fault. Do you understand me?" A sense of urgency crept into his voice, and he shuddered, trying to calm himself down.

Naruto said nothing, continuing to sob.

Kakashi sighed, breathing slowly. "We don't even know if it's true yet. Don't think about it until we know for sure. Sasuke...maybe be saved just yet. Just wait, Naruto. Don't give up. I'm not giving up on you, Naruto." He trailed off; nothing else could be said. So he just held onto the blonde boy until the cries subsided, running his hand through the blonde hair rhythmically.

Finally, Naruto let go of Kakashi's shirt and looked up. Despite how red and puffy his eyes were, the blue irises still shone with a dim light. Naruto smiled weakly. "Thank you, Kakashi."

The older man nodded.

Naruto gave a weak chuckle. "You're right." He said, wiping at his eyes with a sleeve. "I'm being stupid. I won't give up."

"Good."

"I think I might clean up."

"Go ahead, Naruto. No one wants to see a crying seventeen year old boy," Kakashi said as he lightly prodded the boy with an elbow.

Naruto grinned. "Shut up." He stood up and walked into his bathroom. As soon as the door clicked, Kakashi leaned back into the sofa and closed his eyes.

Shit...what were they to do? If what the villagers had been saying was true, then Sasuke was truly lost. Honestly, he didn't doubt it. It had been nearly five years since the Uchiha had defected from Konohagakure no Sato. Even after he had avenged the massacre of his family, Sasuke continued to operate with his group Hebi and often met up with Akatsuki. Of course they'd been strangely quiet as of late, but only because Sasuke had been chasing Kirabi for ages. According to Konoha operatives, the man had _really_ pissed the Uchiha off and now Sasuke nursed a brooding grudge.

Obviously Sasuke didn't have any remorse. The likelihood that he would kill a child on orders from Akatsuki...didn't seem all that far-fetched. If it was true, they would have to kill him when they met up with him. And what would they do with Naruto then? Would Naruto stand in their way, blinded by his hope to bring Sasuke back? This was too much, Kakashi thought, groaning.

"Kakashi? All right there?" Naruto's voice broke into Kakashi's thoughts. The jounin opened his eyes and had to resist the urge to show his shock.

Naruto had dressed himself in soft grey sweatpants and a thin long sleeved shirt the color of a night sky. The toned muscles of his body had never been more apparent. His face was fresh, all signs of his crying gone. His skin radiated with a gentle glow and his eyes sparkled like fine cobalt glass.

The jounin had never found anyone as attractive as he found Naruto now.

Kakashi shook his head and closed his eyes again. "I've got a headache."

"Maybe dinner and aspirin will help. I'll go get started."

"Thanks, Naruto. I'll join you in a moment."

Naruto was quiet for a while, and Kakashi could feel the hesitance. "Go ahead," he reassured the young man. "I'm okay." He waved the boy off.

The blonde finally pattered off to the kitchen.

Kakashi swore inaudibly. He had just been thinking about killing his former student, and now he was fantasizing about his other former student. What a twisted, twisted mind.

He was in love with Uzumaki Naruto. The son of his genin team leader and the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato. He loved him, because Naruto had a fierce determination, a willingness to believe in his friends, his dreams, when no one else would believe in their own. Then of course, there was the small amount of physical attraction too. Yes, Kakashi truly was insane. There was no denying that.

However, he could deny acting on it. Life had taught Kakashi enough to know what to do. The current of time could run smoothly as long as he did nothing. As long as he continued to teach and mentor the growing shinobi, and nothing more. Kakashi could foresee how things would go if he caught the blonde for his own. The little ripple would destroy everything.

He heard the rhythmic chopping sounds of a knife and sighed. It was useless thinking about it too much. He had already made his decision. He got up and walked into the kitchen, putting on a small smile; although he had promised himself to do nothing, it didn't mean he couldn't enjoy spending time with the ones he loved.

"What can I do, Naruto?" he asked as he pulled off his gloves.

"It's okay, I mean, if you've still got a headache—"

"Don't worry about it. I'm fine."

Naruto sighed loudly and looked around. "Well, if you could wash the rice and vegetables, that'd be great," he finally said.

"Will do."

"Hey, Kakashi?"

"Yeah, Naruto?"

A flicker of light passed over the teen's sapphire eyes. "Thanks again."

"Always, Naruto."

Naruto grinned, his white teeth flashing. "Alright! Let's do this!" He resumed his chopping with a new vigor.

Kakashi shook his head, and faintly the lyrics of a song trailed through his head.

_Boku no negai wa tatta hitotsu dake_

_Kimi o suki na mama de i sasete_

_I have only one wish,_

_Please let me keep on loving you.**_

The jounin chuckled. Sometimes the mind worked in strange ways.

"I always thought you were tone-deaf, Kakashi-sensei." Naruto noted.

"What now?" The two of them were speaking without looking at each other, continuing their work smoothly.

"You were humming."

"Was I?"

"Yeah. It's a nice song. Where'd you hear it from?"

"I don't remember. Maybe Gai sang it once or something." Although he didn't look up, Kakashi could tell Naruto had cringed at the image of Gai singing.

Naruto chuckled. "I heard that song live, you know. When I was traveling with Yamato in Tea Country. The singer is a very beautiful woman."

Despite himself, Kakashi bristled slightly. "Is she now?"

"Yeah. She's about your age too. Maybe you two could date."

"I doubt a civilian could keep up with the life of a shinobi."

"Yeah...yeah, you're right." And Naruto laughed.

And it was silent. They didn't make say anything other than necessary communication, like "hand me the bowls" or "where'd you put the soy sauce?"

When they actually had dinner, the conversation picked up a bit. Kakashi was surprised at how much he was enjoying the idle chit-chat. Moments like this were few and far in between in the life of the shinobi. The moon rose higher in the sky, and the night grew long. It was close to midnight when Kakashi decided to leave.

Naruto walked him to the door. It looked like he was blushing a little, but Kakashi couldn't be quite sure with the lighting. The blonde tugged the bottom of his shirt and a flash of a tan collarbone appeared for a moment. Kakashi gulped and looked away.

"Thanks for coming over, Kakashi," Naruto mumbled, hardly intelligible.

"Anytime."

"Really?"

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "What now?"

"Would you really come over again?"

The older man felt a bubbly sensation envelop his body. He resisted the urge to shake it out. "Of course. I'll see you tomorrow at the normal grounds?"

Naruto nodded, but he had a pensive expression on his face. He waved weakly as Kakashi left.

Kakashi looked up at the crescent moon with a soft smile on his face. It had been a good day.

**o-x-o-x-o**

As of this chapter, I've received about 22 reviews! Thank you so much for all the nice words. But thank you as well to you silent lurkers, who have put me in their favorite or alert lists. Most appreciated, chaps. Of course, if any of you ever feel like giving a review, please feel free! I smile with each review, and I end up being giddy for the rest of the day.

**The song lyrics are from "Days" by Ayumi Hamasaki, which I don't own. It's rather a nice J-Pop song. I thought it fit them well.

And one quick question for you all: how's the pacing for you? I feel like I have a lot of scenes that focus on just the main characters and their relationship development. I certainly hope you don't mind that the action is moving slow.

Thank you all so much for your time!

Ja ne,

Vi


	5. Preparation

Confluence

By Violet Garnets

**Chapter Five: Preparation**

**o-x-o-x-o**

_Even before he opened his eyes, he smelled all the ruin and decay._

_The stench of death permeated the air. Bodies littered the ground, each one decorated with gruesome injuries. The body closest to him had been split in two: the muscles spilled out slowly, peppered with bits of shattered bone. Streams of blood came from all directions, ending in a dark pool around his legs. Somehow he knew _he_ was the one who had caused all this carnage._

_He looked out across the field, forcing himself to ignore the endless rows of corpses. A brilliant sunset greeted his eyes, an ironically pulchritudinous image. But a tall shadow blocked the sun itself. He focused his vision on it. There, dark eyes stared at him, the expression unfathomable. He held his breath as their eyes locked, battling for…something. _

_"Why?" He shouted. The word hung in the air, filling up the palpable silence. "Why? I thought--"_

_"Thought what, Shigeru? That a stupid verbal contract would hold up between our two clans? Che. How moronic."_

_A realization hit him. His hands shook. "This...this isn't about our clans, is it?" _

_The man shook out his pitch-black hair, a sly (pained, cold) smile on his lips. "You figured it out, did you?"_

_"I can't stop time, Ryuji! I can't change what happened!" Despite himself, his voice betrayed all desperation. The wakizashi felt heavy in his hand._

_"Ah, yes. That's true." The man named Ryuji looked at his hand, turning it back and forth. "But if you had done nothing, none of this would've happened. You could have avoided so much suffering." _

_Then, before he even realized it, Ryuji had moved and he felt a sharp blade pierce him from behind. He choked, tasting iron. Warm blood coursed down his body and soaked his shirt. He dropped his own sword; it made a sickening splash as it sank into the pool of blood._

_Ryuji whispered into his ear, the warmth of his breath a fatal contrast to his frigid tone. "In the next life, remember one thing: think before you act, Shigeru. Perhaps we'll be friends then. Enjoy your final hours." Everything turned black, and he felt himself falling forward, forward into—_

Kakashi jolted awake, his hand clutching his chest. He gasped for air. Sweat matted his silver locks across his forehead.

"Shit." Again, again, always these dreams. But this...nothing had sent such terror through him in a while. Being seriously hurt had never been anything unfamiliar to him. But he knew two things:

1) that same blow killed him, or his dream-self, or whatever;

2) The one named Ryuji was an exact copy of one Uchiha Sasuke.

Now this wasn't something to be ignored. He stood up and got ready immediately, unable to put this off any longer.

**o-x-o-x-o**

"Godaime-sama," Kakashi said as he gave her a curt bow.

The woman crumpled up a handful of papers and growled. "Something important, Kakashi?" she said through grit teeth. "If you haven't noticed, I'm a little _busy_."

The jounin barely noted her anger. He had other things on his mind. "Has there been any news concerning Uchiha Sasuke?" he asked, his tone low and serious.

Tsunade's shoulders dropped as her eyebrows rose, curious. "What now?"

Kakashi set his eyes firmly on her, to ensure he had her full attention. "I heard rumors around town…that he has murdered children. They are only civilian rumors, but nevertheless—"

She interrupted him with a sigh, her chest heaving. She propped her elbow on the table. "Naruto heard, didn't he?"

"…Yes, Hokage-sama."

"My informants have told me nothing. They apparently lost his trail in the northwestern borders of Earth Country. He and his group were still pursuing Kirabi, last we knew, no civilian casualties caused by the Uchiha thus far. Some missing-nin and hunter units have fallen though."

Kakashi didn't notice his shoulders were tense until he felt them sag back into a more relaxed position. So…not children, not quite yet… "Thank you for informing me."

"I only told you so you could pass the information onto Naruto. We don't need his mind split right before he presents to the council."

"Anything about that?"

"I will know when you know, Kakashi."

"I'd like to go into the old archives of the Hokage, if that is permissible."

"Excuse me?" She looked up with curious eyes, taken aback by the sudden change of subject.

"There…there is something I'd like to look up."

"I need to know what it is before I allow you anything, Kakashi," she said, folding her arms.

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I want to know the Uchiha lineage— before the formation of Konohagakure no Sato. I know the Hokage archives must have something about it."

Her expression didn't change. "Why?"

"I had a dream." He shrugged.

"So this is for personal curiosity?"

"No. It's for Naruto." Kakashi surprised himself. The words came out before he had a chance to think about it. "I— I just think it's important to follow up on, that's all." His hand came up to scratch at the back of his head and he chuckled sheepishly.

She looked at him in the same, confused way for a while, but it eventually became a smile. "Alright then. But remember…old secrets are in that library. Don't look where you shouldn't."

"I understand. I won't endanger myself unnecessarily."

"Move along then."

He turned around and, acting on pure impulse, added, "You've got ink all over your face. It's a good improvement." Kakashi then bolted out the door. It was most unwise to remain present after such a comment. True to form, Tsunade yelled a string of unintelligible curses after the jounin.

**o-x-o-x-o**

Kakashi opened the door and the faint smell of aged paper wafted out, signaling that he had found the correct room. The number of scrolls and books daunted him; they seemed to stretch on forever. Luckily it was not his first time there. Moving with a quiet purpose, he made his way to the history scrolls. The ones about the Uchiha contrasted with the others, as someone had emblazoned an elegant fan upon all of them. With a delicate touch he unwound one of the oldest.

He read it out loud, his voice hardly more than a whisper. "The Uchiha derived their name not only from their specialization in fire jutsu, but from the massive uchiwa their clan used back in the pre-nation centuries."

Kakashi's shoulders sagged. He didn't need this obvious information. But he trudged on.

"The Uchiha's ancestors were known as the Ishin no Kodomo-- the same Ishin clan who would later spark the Great War of Pre-History, the Ishin, Ankoku, and Eien clans leading at the forefront. The descendants of the infamous instigator, Ishin no Kodomo no Ryuji, then renamed themselves the Uchiha, in light of their newfound affinity with fire jutsu.

"From here on, not much is known of the war. It raged for many years, until the Hakken (later known as the esteemed Senju Clan) arrived, tipping the scales. The rest is common history, as Senju Hashirama would later ally himself with the Uchiha and together they founded Konohagakure no Sato."

Here the text ended. Kakashi shook his head. He gained a bit of valuable information, but it wasn't nearly enough. He read it again. Wait a minute...Ryuji? Were they one and the same, the Ryuji of his dream and the one of history? He let the scroll slide down a few inches from his hands. The idea was...nearly unimaginable.

But supposing that dream-Ryuji was this historical figure and he looked like Uchiha Sasuke...then who was dream-Shigeru, the man whom Kakashi dreamed himself as?

"Kakashi-senpai?"

The jounin turned around to see Yamato at the door. He mentally shook off his thoughts. "Yo, Tenzou."

The man pointedly ignored the use of his real name. "The Council requests your presence."

"Ah. I'll come along then." In honesty, he was rather disappointed. The elders were taking him away from rather valuable information. But…Naruto came first.

The hallway was devoid of people as Yamato and Kakashi made their way to the meeting hall. The jounin could tell his companion was itching to ask questions, but considering how easy it would be for someone to overhear...

"Everything's ready, Yamato. No need to worry," Kakashi said, adding the slightest inflection of boredom.

Yamato's shoulders relaxed a bit. "Really?" he asked. "But the expectations..."

"I believe in this absolutely." He paused, running a hand through his hair. "In fact...it's been a while since I've been so sure of something."

They walked in silence as the black-haired man processed the secret Kakashi had just confessed. "Thank you," he finally breathed out.

"It's really all your work. I just did some refining."

Yamato shook his head, and Kakashi got the feeling that he was out of the loop on something. "No, it's not that. It's just...good."

Kakashi stopped walking. "Wait, what?"

The Mokuton-user smiled his classic, cryptic smile. Kakashi, despite having an excellent one himself, had always been rather envious of that strange smile. "It's nothing," Yamato said, brushing the matter off. "We're here now." Yamato gave a little bow, almost apologetic, and he walked away briskly.

Kakashi groaned inwardly. All of these strange secrets the world refused to share with him...and now he had to face a group of people he would rather never see.

"Welcome, Sharingan no Kakashi," they all echoed one another. Kakashi stifled his urge to roll his eyes. Of course they'd call him that. He made a sort of noise, a noncommittal greeting.

"We've been expecting you."

Duh, he thought to himself. This was getting boring already. A flicker in the corner caught his attention. He spotted a bandaged hand peeping from the shadows. Of course Danzou would be here. If Danzou would only make his presence known, Kakashi would jump at the chance to strangle the old monster with his own hands…for all the hurt he caused Naruto. Unfortunately, like the others in the room, he had to force himself to pretend that the Root leader did not exist.

Homura spoke first. His raspy voice grated on Kakashi's ears. "Is the demon container controlling himself?"

"As always." Kakashi clenched his fists. "And he has a name: Uzumaki Naruto."

"As we're well aware," Koharu responded, her voice as calm as an autumn day. "Do you believe him capable enough to remain in this village without endangering its people?"

"He never endangered anyone to begin with!" he snapped. Kakashi then realized he was shaking, the muscles in his neck bundled together. The elders looked at him with an expression that signaled a sort of surprise. He took a deep breath. "But he's more than ready to show you that. He has the Kyuubi under control, since that is all you care about."

"We care about the safety of this village, Hatake-san," Koharu said. "But if he is ready, we will see the both of you tomorrow in the morning. Under our judgment, we will decide whether he passes or not."

There was a scoff from behind them. Kakashi turned around to see Tsunade standing there, her arms folded. "And if you decide he does not pass?"

The two responded immediately. "Then he will die."

"What?" Tsunade and Kakashi shouted.

"That makes no sense!" Tsunade gasped. "That would not eliminate the existence of the Kyuubi!"

Homura shook his head. "Based on new information about the Akatsuki's plans, we must pass on the demon to someone more capable of controlling it."

"Although he is the son of our esteemed Yondaime," Koharu added, "he is but a young one, with little command over his actions. He himself is not a liability to this village, but his recklessness could destroy us all."

The Hokage sputtered, completely at a loss for words. "But—"

"Never." The word seared the room and a dark silence enveloped them all. They all stared at Kakashi. His expression was nearly the same monotonous and bored look he always carried, but the murderous intent boiling up within him could not be hidden. "Naruto will prove you wrong. There is no question about that. See us at the training grounds tomorrow morning."

Without another word, he turned on his feel and calmly strode out— as calmly as he could. If he didn't have his years of experience, he probably would've have destroyed the all of them with his Raikiri without a second thought.

Yamato caught his eye as he walked out the building, but obviously Kakashi couldn't hide his emotions as well as he liked, as the Mokuton user made no movements but nodded in his direction. People instinctively kept their distance from him as Kakashi made his way away from the godforsaken place the Elders housed in. Before he knew it, he found himself in front of the memorial.

"Damn it," he muttered. "Damn it." He sat down on the ground, his weight on his arms as he looked up to the sky. "Obito…why are they morons? Why am I such a moron?"

He should have expected this. Considering all things, why didn't he expect that the consequence of Naruto failing was death? They had already exiled him, against all good reason. This was only one step farther, the most logical step in their ridiculous minds. He understood that. And yet…

"I hoped," he breathed out, his eyes widening in quiet realization. "I hoped, didn't I?"

The silence agreed with him; he let out a chuckle, although it sounded more like a gasp than a laugh.

He hoped. He put groundless faith in someone. When was the last time he truly believed in another? The image of three young genin with varying personalities and interrelated futures entered his mind. Right. The Chuunin Exams for Team 7 would be the latest. But before that? The images in his head faded, blurred, and Kakashi knew he wouldn't be able to find any more in recent memory.

He supposed he could ponder over whether that was a blessing to him as a shinobi or a pity to him as a human being, but such answers were irrelevant. The important thing was that, somewhere along the line, he had begun to hope again. That terrifying feeling fluttered in his heart, and somehow he knew that hope scared him even more than love. It wasn't love that made people doing stupid things; it was the hope that they _could_ love, or be loved. Hope led to regret, in the end. He thought of the roads his first and only team eventually took. He had hoped they would pass the test and become powerful ninja, and they did. But… now Sasuke walked a path far from those he left behind, while Naruto and Sakura struggled to keep it all together and fruitlessly bring things back to the way they were.

"Obito...are you laughing at me? I bet Rin is. She's laughing at me, the foolish survivor."

The wind whistled softly and the leaves rustled.

Yet that same wind brought back the sound of steel and screams, the pictures of a set of angry eyes and corpses strewn about like food for the birds.

"_Think before you act, Shigeru."_

Kakashi shuddered, despite himself. His chest tingled as he recalled the vivid feeling of a sword running through it.

"If you were here, Obito, I'd ask you about all this. Surely you would have known something about Uchiha history." Kakashi looked up and paused. "Then again, you were such a numbskull, maybe you would have been useless. But…I know you'd help, at least."

He sat there for hours, rifling the facts through his head and making mental lists, trying to piece it all together. His dreams, his episode at Ichiraku, and the archives of Konoha…all these small things he couldn't connect, but he knew that _something_ was there.

It was late afternoon when he decided to go and finally break the news to Naruto. He had given the boy a break, knowing that Team 10 had recently returned from their mission and they were the only team Naruto had yet to properly visit. The blonde boy had mentioned something about taking them to the new barbecue restaurant, so Kakashi decided to try his luck there.

Sure enough, the four of them sat in front of the place at one of the outdoor tables, enjoying the late summer air. Choji predictably kept eating steadily, a small smile on his face as he watched the others. As beautiful as ever, Ino played with her chopsticks as she talked animatedly with Naruto, who looked rather upset over something. Shikamaru shook his head, and Kakashi had no doubt the boy had just muttered the word 'troublesome'. Sai apparently had joined the band as well; he let his lips curve slightly upwards when no one was watching. Seeing them like that, so lost in their world, Kakashi hesitated in approaching them. Instead, he shifted so that the corner hid him from their view while giving him full sight of their actions.

**o-x-o-x-o**

Wah, as Oci. kindly pointed out to me, I forgot to mention why I didn't bring up Kakashi's mask in the last chapter if they had dinner together. Simple answer: he didn't eat again. The man's gone on many a mission without meals, so I doubt another dinner would kill him. Besides, it's my fic and I can do what I want! Kidding. I'm not the best when it comes to continuity, but it's thanks to you lovely people that I try my hardest to keep it all together.

Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! No Naruto, and it was mostly Kakashi-centric, but that's because I'm switching point-of-view from next chapter onward. As I'm sure you all have noticed, Kakashi's dreams are rather important, so feel free to share your theories on what the hell is going on!

As always, reviews, concrit, and even a hearty flame will be appreciated.

Ja ne,

Vi


	6. Flipside

Confluence

By Violet Garnets

**Chapter Six: Flipside**

**o-x-o-x-o**

Considering that he'd been gone for two years, to say that Naruto was enjoying his time back would be an understatement. He considered every day a blessing, to be back in a place he would always call home. He had missed the smell of the trees found only in the village, the taste of Teuchi's ramen, the sight of Hokage Monument towering over everything, the sound of Sakura's laughter, and the feel of sparring with Kakashi once more. He had missed that last one most of all.

During his travels (although everyone else called it an exile, Naruto had always firmly believed otherwise) with Tenzou, he had a lot to think about. After all, he couldn't spar or train much under the guise of a civilian, so he ended up musing over the state of things instead. Along with thinking about how he should approach the Akatsuki situation and how the hell he was going to get Sasuke back, the matters of love crept into his mind. A year into it, he finally figured out that he was in love. With Hatake Kakashi, of all people.

It took him another four months and twenty-two days to actually accept the idea.

It was just…absurd, really. He had always had a respect and level of admiration for his sensei. Of course as he came of age and began to distinguish what attracted him, then he found Kakashi's strong build and dark eyes very handsome, but…rather he just wished he looked as cool as his sensei. He never thought it would amount to love. But the world worked in mysterious, magical, _incredibly stupid_ ways. And by the time Naruto figured it all out, he found himself far, far gone for the Copycat Ninja.

When the news came that the elders were allowing Naruto to come back home, he had it all planned out. With his new knowledge and skill, he would wow the council with his prowess and maturity, take Sasuke back home where he belonged, and win Kakashi-sensei's heart. He had repeated all the steps in his head on the way back, until he could say them in his sleep. Yamato had said that Naruto muttered "step forty-two: kiss sensei" once in his sleep. Naruto had turned a fierce red and shouted that he had no idea what the older man was talking about. Unfortunately, Yamato proved to be much more insightful than Naruto had hoped.

Yet, when he came back to Konoha, everything changed. The place or the people hadn't changed, but all his grand plans came to naught. He had forgotten that Sasuke wasn't a stagnant person. He had changed, and Naruto couldn't do anything to stop that. The exhibition for the council hadn't come up yet, but he was sure he'd mess that up somehow. As for his ideas about confessing his love…well, he had never been the most eloquent person in the world, and found himself saying _comfortable_ things around Kakashi.

He really didn't have anyone to go to for help; although Tenzou knew of his secret, the Mokuton user wasn't exactly experienced in the ways of wooing. Naruto was too embarrassed and worried to bring it up to Iruka, and he had a feeling Sakura had somehow always known even before he did, but she had been so busy lately and he didn't want to bother her…

So somehow he ended up asking Ino for relationship advice.

He certainly hadn't intended to; the meal with Team 10 was supposed to be small talk, recapping all the moments they had missed in each other's lives. It had started out well: various missions where Shikamaru's reliable intellect, Ino's reliable charisma, or Choji's reliable hugeness saved them all, how Naruto handled being a citizen, and occasionally Sai would ask a question so naïve it made the others smile nervously. They were comfortable things to talk about. Easy things. Killing and fighting slipped off the tongue so much more fluidly than something like love.

"So, Naruto," Choji said between bites of a tender piece of peppered pork, "did you get a girlfriend? Being a civilian and all, I heard that's all they do since they don't fight and stuff."

"A girlfriend?" Naruto sputtered, his eyes widening.

Sai smiled, his eyes closed, and piped in, "I think Naruto's penis size is much too small for women to consider him as a sexual partner."

At that, Choji choked. He pawed the table with one hand for his water, clutching his neck with the other hand. Shikamaru shook his head. Naruto didn't even register Sai's words, the word 'girlfriend' still running through his mind.

Ino, obviously intrigued by the new conversation topic, leaned forward. Her chopsticks dangled in her hand, bobbing up and down. "Well?"

"Hell no!" He said, his smile so big even his molars were visible. "Shinobi don't have time for that, right? Hey, Choji, your beef is burning!"

Choji yelped and effectively turned their attention away.

But Ino was more persistent than he had hoped. "Naruto, seriously. Anyone at all?"

Naruto shook his head, filled with the greatest reluctance. "I didn't meet anyone special during my trip."

The blonde kunoichi pouted and her shoulders sank. "Seriously? You've never met anyone you thought was attractive?"

The strong chin of his sensei came to mind and Naruto shook his head again. "There's someone…"

Ino's eyes sparkled, reflective of her renewed excitement. "It's someone from Konoha, then?"

"I don't want to talk about it," Naruto huffed, crossing his arms. His face felt warm and he silently willed it to cool down. He failed terribly.

Shikamaru cut in smoothly. "Don't bother him too much, Ino. It'll be troublesome."

The girl waved him off with her chopsticks. "Maa, maa, I won't ask for details then! How long have you liked this person then?"

Naruto, despite his embarrassment, felt a sort of gratitude to Ino for showing such an interest in something he had never been able to talk about. "About a year, I guess," he muttered.

She grinned. "Must be love then. Why haven't you done anything about it?"

"What makes you think I haven't?" he retorted, feeling strangely defensive.

"You wouldn't mind sharing who it was if you had."

Sai nodded slowly. "She does have a point, the beautiful one." By now Ino had figured out that Sai's nickname for her didn't mean what she had thought it meant, but she had also gotten over the fact that he found her unattractive. That was just how Sai was.

Defeated, Naruto slumped into his chair. "They're kind of a hard person to talk about that stuff with," he admitted.

"Shinobi usually stick to the bare essentials. To think about love is more a privilege than anything," Shikamaru said as he reached for some grilled vegetables. "You had the chance to be 'normal' and actually consider such feelings. Whoever you like, he probably spent the majority of his life working."

"He? What do you mean by he?" Naruto barked, butterflies filling his stomach.

Shikamaru furrowed his eyebrows. "Is that what I said?"

Naruto blanched. "Er…didn't you?"

Choji wiped his mouth neatly with his napkin and decided to add in his two cents. "Yeah, you did. But Naruto-kun isn't gay."

"Or…is he?" Ino's eyes shone with a devious light.

Naruto's lips grew thin.

Considering the situation, Sai tilted his head. "It would make sense. The way he looks at _him_."

"Who?" Ino, Choji, and Naruto all balked.

The pale-skinned boy shot a look at Shikamaru, who slowly nodded. "I have noticed that. Good call, Sai."

The boy smirked in response.

Ino shook her head. "I don't understand how you two know more gossip than I do. This is ridiculous."

"We're breaking stereotypes," Shikamaru said. "And apparently so is someone else here."

He didn't look over at Naruto, but the blonde boy flushed darkly anyway. Naruto looked away and tried to focus his hazy blue eyes on something else. What he caught was a glimpse of silver spikes by a nearby building. Kakashi met his gaze and, although he looked a tad surprised, it was quickly replaced by the same relaxed expression he always had. The older man gave him a quick nod with his head and turned away.

Naruto stood up lightning fast and nearly bowled the table over while doing so. He gripped onto the edge with one hand and pulled out his wallet with the other, slapping a handful of money on the table. Well aware of how awkward he looked, he only spit out, "Got something to do, I'll see you guys later!" He ran off without another word, hoping he'd catch up with Kakashi. He did. As soon as he turned the corner, his nose made contact with a broad chest. He groaned, knowing full well his face was probably progressing from dark red to some shade of purple.

"You probably shouldn't run headfirst into situations you're unaware of." Kakashi said, his voice betraying no emotion other than a sort of bemusement. Naruto felt a gloved hand pat him on the head.

The blonde slowly brought his hands up to the other man's chest to push himself off, but he let his hands linger— just for a fraction of a second longer than necessary. When he finally pulled away, his fingers still tingled from the minute contact. He laughed, absolutely petrified in front of this man. "So, ah, Kakashi-sensei, did you need something?"

Kakashi's eyes turned cold, and Naruto felt a chilly wave creep into the alleyway. He shivered, despite the copious amount of sun shining on them. "The council wants to see you. Tomorrow," the jounin said. His voice only added to the frigid atmosphere.

"Kakashi?" Naruto asked, well aware he was dropping the normal suffix. "Is something wrong?"

Then, just like that, Kakashi broke out of his mood and the tension in the air dispelled. His eye curved to indicate his smile (although Naruto was pretty sure there were no curving lips underneath that mask) and he placed his hand on Naruto's shoulder. "It's nothing, Naruto. I was just thinking of strange things."

"Alright then." But Naruto didn't believe him, not for a moment. Despite the fact Kakashi was known to be Konoha's most prominent shinobi, something was bothering him so much he couldn't hide it from Naruto, known to be the village moron. Something strange...But he would leave it for the moment. Kakashi would tell him in time, if he deemed it necessary.

Sighing, he looked at the other man and beamed brightly. "Well, do you have plans for the rest of the day?"

"Um...no. Why?"

Seizing up the little bits of courage in him, Naruto grabbed onto Kakashi's arm with both hands and pulled him out of the alleyway, into the main street full of vendors and their wares. "You should come along with me, then!" A faux confidence filled his voice, despite the fact his arms shook uncontrollably. He bobbed his legs up and down to hide the involuntary shaking.

Kakashi tilted his head. "Where?"

Naruto shrugged, and the smooth cotton of his black shirt shifted softly, wrinkling the orange patterns on the sleeve. "I don't know. Where haven't you gone in a while?"

"Do you really want to know?" Kakashi raised an eyebrow, and Naruto wondered if it was meant to be skeptical, or a little suggestive. He decided to go with the latter.

"If it's about you, then I'll always want to know," he said, glancing to the side as he did so. He was still walking backwards, pulling Kakashi towards him. He silently hoped he wasn't turning red.

Kakashi seemed to have turned a faint pink, but the teen couldn't quite tell since he barely saw a fourth of the man's face. He muttered, "Wherever you want to go is fine."

Naruto grinned to himself, proud of the fact that he managed to stupefy the great Hatake Kakashi, and decided to let his feet go as they pleased and hoped they ended up somewhere interesting. Eventually he faced forward and walked side-by-side with the jounin. But he refused to let go of the older man's arm. Said older man didn't seem to mind too much. It was late afternoon, and the heat kept most people indoors for the day, relishing in the coolness of their homes. No one noticed Naruto's hand wrapped lightly around the forearm of his sensei.

Eventually they found themselves at Kakashi's apartment complex. The two of them looked at one another, the same perplexed expression on their faces- or at least the same perplexed eyes. Naruto couldn't tell if the other man's mouth was gaping. But he bet it was.

"W-why here?" Kakashi finally sputtered.

The blonde teenager had nothing to say. So he just shrugged and pulled the man up the stairs, coming up with something as he went along. He proceeded with a stream-of-consciousness ramble. "Well, you know, I haven't seen the inside of your apartment and stuff, sensei! I mean, the outside is nice and I bet you have this huge place full of crazy porno books and—"

"They're good works of literature," Kakashi interjected.

"—yeah, and I mean, I've known you since I was a little preteen and I haven't seen your place yet. That's kind of crazy!" He stopped and shifted his eyes back and forth. "Um...where exactly is your apartment?"

The man closed his visible eye and shook his head, chuckling a little. "Here, come with me," he whispered, his voice hardly audible. He pulled his arm out of Naruto's grip and then, as fluidly as rivers run, it founds its way around the young blonde's shoulder.

Naruto stiffened. His eyes grew to the size of large saucers. The world seemed to slow down. A single action, of placing an arm around him for no apparent reason, made a small feeling inside him multiply. Exponentially.

"You all right, Naruto?"

And time swung back into its normal pace. Naruto shook his head. "Yeah, I'm good," he said, a huge smile slipping onto his face. "Where is it?"

"Just down here. It's not much though, I'm warning you." With a gentle pressure, Kakashi eased him in the right direction. Pulling out some keys, the man unlocked the door and it opened with a whining creak.

**o-x-o-x-o**

Maa. I hope looking into Naruto's mindset was fine with you all. It just seemed suitable for the upcoming chapters. This one doesn't really move plot along too much, but transitions are necessary to a good story, ne? I hope this one was a good transition… Hmm.

I have a terrible habit of just focusing a story on the two main characters and hardly giving others a chance to be explored. My greatest apologies. I'll do my best to rectify that with visits from Team 10, Sai, Sakura, and the rest.

Anyway, thank you for the 35 favorites and 75 alerts, along with all the reviews! I appreciate every single gesture you all bestow on my little self.

As always, reviews are always heavily loved and appreciated!

Ja ne,

Vi


	7. Sudden Movements

Confluence

By Violet Garnets

**Chapter Seven: Sudden Movements**

**o-x-o-x-o**

It wasn't like what Naruto had imagined. Just one room, starkly furnished with only essentials. A small shelf housed a handful of books, most of them Jiraiya's works. It seemed to work for Kakashi, this lack of coziness. But it made him a little sad to think about it, to be honest. "It's kind of…bare," the young man finally noted.

The jounin mad a noncommittal noise as he pulled off his flak jacket to reveal the close-fitting black shirt. Naruto felt a chill soar through his body at the sight of those powerful muscles. "I only keep necessities. Anything to drink?" He motioned to the fridge.

"Whatever you have is fine, sensei," Naruto said, his mind somewhere else— specifically a set of picture frames near the window. His feet led him over and by their own accord his hands gingerly picked up the one with two sullen preteens with grey and black hair, a smiling young kunoichi, and an adult male with flashing golden hair, infinite patience in his smiling expression.

The picture, despite probably being about twenty years old, still retained most of its color and brilliance. Even the slightest fading at the corners did nothing to diminish the intensity of the photo. Uchiha Obito looked nothing like his young relative Sasuke, aside from the dark hair and fierce pout. The cheekbones were set slightly lower, the eyebrows raised just a fraction higher, enough to make a world of a difference. Naruto held back a sigh, imagining who Sasuke could have been had the massacre never happened. Rin looked nothing like Sakura, but both kunoichi held a quiet resilience and gentle heart, he could tell. Speaking of which, didn't he have a meeting with Sakura in a few days?

Kakashi's smooth voice interrupted his train of thought. "If your father were here," he said, noting it as if he were discussing the weather, "he would be proud of you."

Naruto held his hand just over the smile of the great Yondaime— his very own father. The very thought brought a tender smile to his lips. He could never meet them, but at least he knew where he came from. "Do I act like him?"

"No, not really. He was a pretty laidback man. Not the unpredictable ball of stupid you are."

Naruto stuck his tongue out, rather proud of his own ability to be a seventeen year-old and get away with such juvenile tactics.

"You act more like your mother. She was always doing something when I came to visit, running here and there, laughing so loud I think their neighbors would have complained if she wasn't the wife of the Hokage."

The boy furrowed his blonde eyebrows, trying to remember the few descriptions he had heard about his mother Kushina. He imagined a beautiful woman with long, bright red hair floating around her as she whirled about her house, a clear tinkling laugh echoing through halls he had only seen in dreams. A woman he knew would have run with him everywhere, pulling pranks on everyone from Utatane Koharu to his own father. His father. He frowned. If his father and mother were still alive, Naruto would never have suffered those first years of his life. Actually, he never would have suffered in the first place. But perhaps he never would have known Kakashi in quite the same way.

"Maybe that discussion with the elders two years ago led to one good thing. I mean, I learned about my parents," he said, breaking the silence he began.

"That's true. You should never have left in the first place though. To try and exile you…I should've done more." Kakashi pulled out two cups from a small cupboard and walked over to the sink. Naruto saw that the grey-haired man shook his head and his hands trembled, obviously from anger.

"Not quite an exile, sensei. I'm back home again, aren't I? And it's not like those years went to waste. I learned a lot of things with Tenzou— er, Yamato-taichou." A nervous laugh escaped Naruto, and it ended up sounding like an awkward guffaw. To temper his jittery legs, Naruto sat down on the bed. "I missed this place though. The people."

The rushing water stopped with a loud squeak from the faucet. "The people here missed you too."

Naruto tilted his head to the side and narrowed his eyes. "I hope they did. But anyway— Kakashi-sensei, what the hell were you thinking as a student? Look at that little bit of hair sticking out your hitai-ate. Trying to be a badass?"

"I never needed to try," the man retorted. "Besides, what about those terrible orange jumpsuits?"

"A good shinobi can still stay concealed in the most ridiculous of clothing!"

"Sure—you just admitted they looked ridiculous."

"You know I looked damn good in those, Kakashi," Naruto said with a grin, but the muscles holding that smile up quivered. Somehow even the semblances of flirting sent him into fits.

Kakashi shook his head. "I'll just say only you could pull off such a color."

"Compliment accepted." Although his tone was even, Naruto glowed all over. "And I'll admit the hair under the hitai-ate looks seriously badass."

The jounin shrugged as he handed a cup of water over to the blonde. Kakashi sat on the bed, making a little rumple in the green sheets. "I'm ridiculously attractive no matter what I do," Kakashi said smugly.

"You could be hideously ugly under that mask for all the rest of us know. Why won't you let anyone see?" Naruto groaned as he put the picture back and took a seat by his sensei.

"It's just a reminder, that's all."

"Of what?"

"My father. My best friend. Your father. Everyone who ever mattered to me."

"And isn't here anymore," Naruto added quietly.

"Yes."

Slowly, silently, Naruto reached his hand out for Kakashi's cheek. "How many people have mattered to you?"

"Too many."

"One for each thread of this mask?"

"Most likely." Their voices were hardly louder than the distant hum of the people down below. The air stilled.

"Name them." By now, the cups had been set aside by the window and both of Naruto's hands were on Kakashi's mask. They started at the bottom, taking the time to feel each and every thread, one by one, letting them catch onto his nails and then slip back off into place.

Kakashi seemed completely unperturbed and obeyed the request of his younger companion without question. One by one, the names slipped off his tongue like water off a steep precipice: "Gakusei Mai. Hatake Sakumo. Uchiha Obito. Haruki Rin. Namikaze Minato. Uzumaki Kushina. Sarutobi Hiruzen…" And so the names went as Naruto's dexterous fingers inched their way upward. His vision felt stretched apart, as if he was not particularly focusing on the mouth although he knew his eyes were looking in that area. Naruto felt himself caught up in a sort of spell, hearing the soft murmur of so many names.

Completely silent, his fingers curled over the edge of the fabric and hooked into them. He moved them down just a fraction of a centimeter. Surprisingly, he received no resistance. Concentrating to refocus his line of vision, Naruto looked up to meet one ashen eye. The dark irises seemed to catch more light than usual, so Naruto took it as an expression of amusement, perhaps curiosity. So he continued his work. His heart began to pound in a scattered, frantic rhythm. Finally. He was going to see Hatake Kakashi's face. The face of the man he loved, the man who had saved him countless times. The man who stood up for him when few believed in the truth.

First, the scars appeared. On Kakashi's left cheek, Naruto spied the rest of the scar he knew Kakashi had received along with Uchiha Obito's Sharingan. Naruto lowered the mask a little more to reveal a gently curved nose, to his surprise. The copycat ninja of Konoha always seemed to give off the air of a sharper, more defined nose. This worked too though. Worked better, actually.

By the time the upper lip showed up, Naruto had to breathe carefully through his nose to keep his hands even. Hell, this was terrifying. Moving his hands a bit quicker than before, he pulled the mask down past the chin so it rested in a folded clump at the nape of the neck. He left his hands there and his jaw dropped slightly at the sight. Seeing the face of one of Konoha's greatest and most elusive shinobi could only be described as momentous. The diagonal scar on the right cheek began at the cheekbone and ended just under the bottom lip. Other little scars crisscrossed along his jawline, but he had much less than Naruto had expected. The lips, dry and chapped, were nevertheless full and finely shaped. Kakashi had a strong, defined jawline, but that had always been evident through the mask. The hitai-ate still covered his Sharingan eye, but Naruto didn't want to cause his sensei any discomfort by having to keep it activated longer than necessity required. So it stayed.

Kakashi's lips formed a smirk and Naruto nearly choked trying to stop his spontaneous nosebleed. "Are you satisfied?" The man asked, clear amusement in his expression.

"Y-yeah," the blonde managed to utter, with great difficulty.

"I'm just going to let you process this for a moment."

"…Okay."

Kakashi stood up and walked over to the bookshelf, apparently committing himself to peruse through his collection of novels. He left the mask down. Naruto stared blankly for a good long time. It shouldn't have been this shocking, to just see someone's _face_, yet…

"How did you get that scar?"

"Which one?" Kakashi turned around to face Naruto.

Holy shit the man was attractive, Naruto thought quietly to himself. A strange bubbling of thoughts began in his head, but he pushed it aside. "The big one on the right side. _Your _right side."

"Ah. Yes." Naruto watched as a gloved hand came up to run along the length of the mark. The man's fine eyebrows relaxed into a more pensive position. Quietly Naruto watched with awe the minute muscles in the jounin's face at work. He had never noticed the intricacies of the jaw before, as odd as that sounded. "The night of the Kyuubi's attack, actually."

Naruto shuddered quite involuntarily.

Kakashi gave the boy a look but continued. "I let my guard down, watching the maternity ward. Building shook, framework came undone, flying shrapnel, and there you have it. It was my favorite set of masks too," he said softly, a light amusement to his voice. "I was actually the only one injured. A miracle you and the others weren't hurt."

"But what about my…mother?" His voice cracked and he winced at the sound.

Kakashi returned to his spot on the bed and placed a hand on Naruto's knee. "She was already gone, Naruto. I'm sorry."

The teen looped his arm underneath Kakashi's, intertwining their hands. He smiled lopsidedly, hoping it would assure the other man a little. "It's okay. Happened before I could remember shit, right?" The grin was too hard to keep up though, so he let it drop. "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"That scar."

"You moron," Kakashi hissed. "Look at me." Naruto reluctantly obeyed. "Listen, you couldn't have caused anything. That's how little newborns in diapers are. They don't do much. You understand? And I would never trade this scar for your life. Ever. I wouldn't trade your presence in my life for anything, Naruto. I mean it."

"Would you trade it for all the lives in your mask?" the blonde asked, expecting some hesitance.

So he was taken aback by the immediacy of the response. "No. I wouldn't. Those people were in my life, they existed. I'm happy to have known them. To have them here now, but never know you in the first place? Never."

Naruto could barely breathe, could hardly see through the almost-tears slicked over his eyes. To hear such words from anyone, but especially from Hatake Kakashi. He couldn't help himself. Before he knew it, Naruto found his hand leaving Kakashi's and placing on the man's other side, and he pressed their lips together in a delicate kiss.

When he realized what he was doing, he meant to pull away. He _did_ pull away. He was going to explain how it was just a spur of the moment thing, how it didn't mean anything.

But a large hand placed on the back of his head stopped him. Said hand also pushed his head back for a deeper, yet softer, kiss. Naruto fumbled with his hand for Kakashi's free hand. He found it and held it tightly. Kakashi squeezed back softly, but obviously more interested in the kiss. Eventually, so was Naruto. He reveled in the strength of the other man, the fragile contact of their tongues and how it contrasted with the intensity with which their lips locked. He tried to figure out what Kakashi tasted like, but scents came to mind, not tastes: the cool smell of autumn leaves, the sharp hint of evergreen in the air, crackling sparks of a smoking fire.

When they finally broke apart, Naruto stared at Kakashi openly, knowing full well the startling blue of his own eyes asked all the questions running through his mind.

"We both needed the contact," Kakashi replied simply, as if it were an everyday thing.

Naruto internally sighed with relief. As much as he wanted to follow through on the plan he had spent half a year formulating, he didn't want to do it here, not now. It didn't feel right. And something about that answer comforted him. Kakashi would never push him away because of a little kiss. It even seemed like the older man even sort of welcomed it. Naruto smiled cheekily as he asked, "So you wouldn't mind if I need contact again in the future?"

Kakashi shrugged, although Naruto could definitely see a pink staining the man's cheeks. What an interesting tidbit of information: Hatake Kakashi knew how to blush. "I doubt you'll be able to kiss me often." He tugged at the mask rolled around his neck and smirked. "So good luck with that."

Naruto grinned. He always loved a challenge. Just as he was going to say something, however, a dark tremor enveloped him. He felt a sway in his chakra levels. Something had caught the Kyuubi's attention.

"Ankoku no Ookami no Shigeru?" The demon hissed, its rumbling voice ringing in the ears of the host. "Such a face I have not seen for at least a millennium…" Then, just like that, Kyuubi returned to its dormant state.

"The hell?" Naruto muttered. He mentally prodded around, but Kyuubi had removed any trace of its presence. The chuunin teen had his mind all to himself again.

Kakashi cocked his head to the left. "What happened?"

Naruto shook his head. "I don't know. The Kyuubi just woke up for a moment and said something weird. A name or something."

"A name?"

"Yeah. Shigeru. And something about the wolves of darkness?"

"Sh-shigeru?" Then all of Kakashi's muscles stiffened and unconsciously Naruto's body imitated the movements.

"Something the matter, sensei?" Naruto frowned. After that strange episode at Ichiraku when he first returned, he had kept an eye on Kakashi to watch for any signs of mental instability. Nothing had shown up since, besides the normal quirks Kakashi had always had: perverseness, a tendency to be sadistic, and an unexpected fear of tiny toy animals (Kakashi once mentioned he had hated only one chapter of all the Icha Icha books. Naruto assumed said chapter had something to do with little plastic hippopotami.) Things seemed fine for a while, but all of a sudden he found himself alone with Kakashi in a strange trance his eyes the color of faded river pebbles.

The jounin wavered, shifting back and forth, muttering to himself. Naruto leaned in to catch the words. "Shigeru…Shigeru…Ankoku no…Ookami no…Ryuji …Akira…"

The name 'Akira' caught his attention. There was something about it. Something so familiar. Not like he knew someone by that name, but something even closer than that. His first thought was of his alias 'Amano Akira'. But he had never told Kakashi of that, had he? This was getting weird.

"Kakashi-sensei? Sensei?" He called out, his voice trembling. Naruto shook Kakashi gently, trying to displace the man's chakra flow with his, in case there was a genjutsu. It didn't help. "Come on now, if this is some kind of joke. I mean, all I said was 'Shigeru', it's just a name—"

At the mention of the name again, Kakashi's eyes changed; they still weren't the same deep, dark gaze they should be, but they weren't quite the glassy grey they were earlier either. Naruto shuddered, not quite from fear but he wasn't sure; something about this look reminded him of the Uchiha family. Where the Uchiha eyes were like the shadows of fire flickering on walls, this darkness was that of still, unending waters.

This entranced Kakashi looked up, straight into Naruto's eyes. The blonde man wanted to turn away, _run away_. Yet he felt a strange connection, as if they were bound together by an unbreakable string.

"Akira," the grey-haired man breathed out slowly. "I've found you."

Kakashi leaned and kissed Naruto fiercely, his hands slipping under the younger one's shirt.

Immediately a heat surged through his body from the touch. Naruto sat shivering, eyes wide, absolutely petrified. _What the hell is going on?_

**o-x-o-x-o**

Things are getting weird, ne? If a certain someone feels OOC, they're supposed to be. I'll hopefully rectify that in a future chapter.

I don't really know what else to say xD. I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and the fact that this thing averages 10 or so reviews per chapter makes me really giddy.

Hope you enjoyed, please feel free to leave some comments!

Ja ne,

Vi


	8. Begin

Confluence

By Violet Garnets

**Chapter Eight: Begin**

**o-x-o-x-o**

Naruto's breath hitched as he felt suddenly gloveless hands creep their way up his chest. The eye in Kakashi's head that weren't quite Kakashi's eye looked deep into him, and his skin crawled— albeit not in an entirely unpleasant manner.

"Sensei, what are you doing?"

"Whatever do you mean, Akira?" Kakashi whispered into the young man's neck, nuzzling it softly. "Strange you should call me sensei when you are older than I. I have taught you little, if anything."

_Older?_ What the hell? As far as Naruto was concerned, there was clearly a fourteen year age difference between them and he could see absolutely no way Kakashi could possibly be younger than him. This was getting weirder by the moment. "I think you've got me mistaken for s-someone else! Get your hands off me!" His typical brashness kicked back into high gear.

"Ah, Akira, that's unfair. You promised that I could have you when I found you." He pressed a kiss to the very side of Naruto's lips and his tongue darted out to just touch upon the lower lip. Naruto resisted every muscle in his whole damn body to not fall apart, to not give in and just _sigh_ into this man's broad chest.

"No, seriously! I think you've got the wrong guy! And what the hell is this hide-and-seek game you've got going on? Kakashi!"

And just like that, Kakashi suddenly slumped over, sending them both into the soft sheets of the bed. Naruto looked down to see Kakashi slowly trying to push himself up, but his elbows buckled and he fell back onto the younger one. Groaning, the jounin rolled off to lay right next to Naruto on the bed.

"N-Naruto?"

The blonde sighed. Thank god. Any longer with the other man's ministrations and he wouldn't have been able to stop… "Kakashi? Are you okay?"

"Yeah…I guess. What happened?"

Naruto quickly ran through the list of possible answers he could give. The truth would just be…really, really awkward. _Hey Kakashi-sensei, you just pretty much groped the crap out of me and called me 'Akira'! Yeah! Believe it!_ Naruto winced at the idea. In an immediate afterthought, he realized that a worried frown probably wasn't the best expression to give at the moment. He looked at Kakashi, who frowned back at him.

"Naruto?"

"Ah, uh…you passed out! Yeah, sensei, you must be exhausted! You just fell asleep right on top of me, and I was calling at you but you wouldn't wake up!"

The two stared at each other for a long time, Kakashi obviously reluctant to believe such a story. But eventually he acquiesced and nodded carefully. Naruto breathed a soft sigh of relief. He would tell Kakashi the truth later…if the need ever came up. He pulled at a few strands of his blonde hair, unsure of how to continue. He supposed it was time to go. "Hey, uh, sensei! Thanks for having me over and, uh, stuff. But it's getting late and I, you know, should probably go."

The grey-haired man blinked a dark, sleepy eye— obviously he was still completely in a haze. He reached out a hand and fumbled at Naruto's shoulder. "Of course. Go ahead, Naruto. I'll see you in the morning." The hand dropped down with a heavy thump on the sheet.

Naruto hesitated, several rather morbid ideas popping into his head. What if Kakashi had another fit? What if he did something stupid, like if he believed he could fly and jump out the window? Of course believing Naruto to be someone to kiss was entirely different from believing he could fly, but the young blonde couldn't help himself from thinking such thoughts. "Kakashi-sensei? Are you sure you'll be alright? I can stay the night if you want."

Kakashi sat in a long, monotonous silence before he shook his head. "No, it's fine. I just passed out. I'm probably losing chakra control as the years go by," he said with a strange almost-chuckle. "I just need some rest is all. Besides, you need your sleep as well. The Council and all."

"Right. Okay then. Um…I guess I'll be off now?"

"Have a good evening, Naruto."

Flattening out the wrinkles in his shirt as he stood up (the memory of warm hands running up his body quickly flashed through his head, shivers running through his spine), Naruto felt a heavy weight on his heart. He didn't want to leave, not quite yet. Then again, he never wanted to leave Kakashi's side. So if things always went his way, he'd end up latched onto the Copycat Ninja of Konoha at all times, which would prove trying for missions, he was sure. He looked over at the older man and when he saw that unmasked face, he couldn't help himself. He leaned over and quickly swiped his lips up against the other's. He grinned, adrenaline surging through him. He felt dizzy. "Just needed one for the road. See ya, Kakashi-senseii!" With that, he dashed out the door, grateful Kakashi was still too out of it to seriously respond to that.

He ran all the way home, the taste of late autumn on his lips even though it was still quite summer all around him.

Theories about Kakashi's strange behavior lingered in his mind, of course. But he'd tuck them away for now. By policy it was his obligation to report strange behavior from any fellow shinobi, and this definitely categorized into the weird-as-hell behavior. But he couldn't take Konoha's premier shinobi out of commission and besides…what if the put the man under surveillance or took the man into that shifty part of the hospital, where suffering genjutsu-afflicted people disappeared for months? He couldn't do that. The last time Kakashi had gone there, he came out a man Naruto didn't even recognize: broken, lost, and hesitant. A man Naruto had left to travel with Jiraiya. When he had left Konoha that first time, he had promised to come back stronger and protect all those he loved. He never realized until much later that the image of a broken Kakashi was one of the primary images that drove him on during those years.

In any case, he would keep quiet about the whole situation. He hoped it wouldn't happen on a mission, but Kakashi had probably gone on a number of missions and Tsunade had said nothing yet.

"Maybe they only happen when I'm around…"

Naruto groaned. All of this thinking wasn't going to lead him anywhere. Besides, he had work to do tomorrow. As much as he wanted to stay up the rest of the night dissolving into intense practice, he had to save up his energy. Danzou wasn't going to win this time, no way in the nine levels of Hell. With this resolution, Naruto crumpled into bed, slipping easily into a dreamless slumber.

**o-x-o-x-o**

It was a curiosity to see the Konoha elders outdoors, and even Homura and Koharu themselves looked rather confused, as if wondering why they stepped outside. Various shinobi who had contributed to Naruto's education were also there, from Iruka (fretting and biting his lip as he paced in circles) to Anko (who had heard the elders would pay for lunch afterwards). Maito Gai was doing squats all by himself, an expression of dedication firmly set on his face. Tsunade, Kakashi, and Yamato stood apart from the rest of the group, muttering in hushed tones. Danzou wasn't in full view, but Naruto knew that the old creep probably lurked around somewhere. The younger shinobi were nowhere to be seen, but Naruto was sure most of them were on missions or the older people had probably banned them from the grounds for the day. Naruto sighed to himself. He would've appreciated some moral support from his friends. Luckily he still had everyone else…

"Naruto!"

He turned around, and to his utter delight, the Sand siblings appeared before him. Kankurou grinned, a new set of markings on his face. Temari cocked her head to the side and smirked at her younger brother. Gaara, stonefaced as ever, twitched his lips slightly.

"Sunagakure was invited to oversee the examination of Konohagakure no Jinchuuriki," Gaara said simply. "To keep it objective."

"Yeah, yeah, _sure_!" Naruto said, the slightest tinge of sarcasm in his voice. "Just to keep it objective and all. Let's get started!" Kankurou and he grinned most deviously while Temari and Gaara only shook their heads. Naruto turned around and sprinted to where the rest of the people stood, shouting triumphantly as he jumped to a stop. However, being truly honest with himself, every muscle in his body twitched not because of confidence but absolute _fear_.

Despite all these people around him, despite the fact that Gaara and his siblings came all the way from Sunagakure to offer support, he was doing this alone. Alone. The word rang in his ears, filled up every pore of his being, parched his throat, stifled his breathing.

A gloved hand made contact with his shoulder. He looked to his right to see Kakashi's face staring at him. The jounin seemed focused – if a bit tired looking – today, but his expression was unreadable otherwise. Naruto imagined he saw a slight hint of an encouraging smile under the mask. The memories (of actually seeing that smile, kissing those supple lips, the hope that he could actually take his feelings _somewhere_) eased the feelings within, somewhat.

"Are you ready?" Kakashi asked, his voice as heavy as his hand.

Naruto cocked his head to the side and grinned, hoping he didn't waver. "Hell yeah!"

Kakashi squeezed his shoulder lightly as he called out, "Hokage-sama!"

Tsunade looked over and gave Naruto one pointed look (_Don'tfuckingmessthisupkid_) before she called them all together. "I doubt I have to reiterate why we're all here. Usually I've got to do it for Kakashi, but luckily he's been paying attention recently."

"You're welcome," Kakashi said. Naruto wondered if it was supposed to be a joke, because everything about his body language indicated that he was ready to tear someone apart. He noticed that the jounin's hand was still on his shoulder, but he decided to leaves things as is. It wasn't often that Kakashi showed any sort of affection— or at the very least, concern for another.

The Hokage continued as if she had never been interrupted. "Naruto's return hit many of you as a shock, I know. While we all knew Naruto was more than capable of achieving the tasks given to him at hand, the possible threats against him seemed—"

"Maa, maa, you all thought I'd fail, didn't you?" Naruto interjected, rather tired of being talked about as if he wasn't even there. "Well, I didn't. I'm back, and I can hold my own and the Kyuubi just fine! Mo~rons!"

Koharu sniffed. "We'll see. What has three years as a civilian taught you?" Homura grunted his agreement.

"That shinobi life sucks ass." A murmur of chuckles went around the group, lightly amused by Naruto's statement. "I'm serious. We have to kill people who haven't even done anything wrong, just because they pose some sort of threat to the nation."

"Yes!" Maito shouted, his eyes burning. "And no one knows of our work, so all the respect and praises of eternal youth go to those samurai!"

Anko swung down from her spot in a tree with a gentle landing. "Mou, that's so true."

Naruto nodded. "We work all day, get paid to put our life on the lines for reasons never really revealed to us. I really appreciate all you guys for helping me grow up and learn how to be a badass. Thanks!" He looked around at all of them, for every single person present once imparted a sliver of advice that shaped him into who he was. Iruka smiled at him, and Naruto's heart fell at the sight. That smile would soon disappear. "But if you think about it…I just learned how to be better at tearing someone's heart out and getting away with it. Now I can create a Rasen Shuriken, to obliterate someone's existence. Cool."

The air stilled.

"For three years, I was a ninja pretending to be a normal teenager. It's not that hard. It was kind of fun, actually. Civilians said I was annoying as hell, but then they would say, 'Maa, he's a teenager. Let him be'. But here…everyone says I'm a 'mission liability'." He tried his best not to look directly at the elders. Even harder, he tried not to look at the ones who mattered to him. He sighed loudly, staring upwards at the clouds trailing the sky.

Homura finally decided to speak up. "Then why did you return? If being a shinobi was so horrible, why are you back here?"

"I had some promises to keep," he replied, his focus back on the shinobi who surrounded him. Of course there were more reasons than that, but he didn't feel any need to share those with people who just wouldn't understand, no matter how he explained it. Besides, judging by the dry smiles on most faces around him, they understood his real reasons anyway.

"Well, we still need to know if you're capable of containing the Kyuubi," Koharu tilted her nose upwards.

Naruto mimicked her expression. "You'll just have to watch me then, won't you?" He resisted the urge to stick out his tongue at the old hag and instead turned to Yamato. "Can I start with my kyudo, Yamato-taichou?"

The man nodded his head once. He mouthed "Ganbare" and stood to the side, ready to subdue the Kyuubi if the need arose.

Kakashi moved to stand next to Yamato, his arms crossed over his chest. Naruto looked away before he could catch the other's eyes. He couldn't look, not now. Not when all he wanted to do was crumble in the man's warm arms and just disappear.

He took center stage. The muscles in his legs trembled. His heart raced out of his body, struggling to shoot straight out his throat. He closed his eyes and breathed slowly. It was time to prove himself once more to the most moronic, blind people ever; and he was going to win. Every single time.

Shaking out stray strands of golden hair, Naruto pumped a fist in the air. "Let's go! Someone want to put me under a genjutsu already?"

"Yo. I'll do it." Kakashi sighed, as if he was forced to do it. He was already putting his hands together for seals.

Homura made a noise of disapproval. Naruto thought he sounded like a donkey taking a crap. "You will go easy on the boy. He is your student."

Kakashi pulled up his hitai-ate and the Sharingan immediately began to move, the markings like drops of ink in blood. "Naruto is more than capable of handling my most extreme genjutsu. There's no need to go easy on him."

"Yeah!" Naruto shouted. "Don't underestimate me!"

"However," Kakashi continued, "if you insist, choose someone else just as capable to do the job."

The blonde teen grinned inwardly. No one in Konohakagure could compare to Sharingan no Kakashi besides the Uchiha, who of course were long gone. Naruto himself knew he didn't need any particular leniency, but he had always wanted to dominate the almighty Kakashi.

In more ways than one.

Naruto turned a little pink at the thought. The hell? Now wasn't the time to think about that sort of stuff. He shook his head with wanton force. _Re-center yourself, Uzumaki._

Koharu extended her arm outwards. The long sleeve billowed out in the breeze and Naruto became aware of the rising winds. "Shimura Danzou-san has offered his services for this job."

"**Danzou?**" The entire group crowed together. Naruto himself began to shake. This was unexpected.

The Root leader stepped out from under the trees, his countenance dark and serious. He crossed his arms over his chest and set his legs shoulder-width apart. "I am honored to take up this privilege, Utatane-san." He gave the old woman a little bow.

Naruto, still shaking, pumped a fist in the air and cackled. "Yeah, the privilege of getting your ass whooped!" he shouted. "Funny thing is, I don't even have to hurt you to beat you at this goddamn game!"

"It's not a game, Uzumaki-kun," Danzou responded. "Games do not have stakes this high."

"You haven't been playing the right games, ya old bat!"

Tsunade groaned, pressing the bridge of her nose with her fingers. "Naruto! Now's not the time."

"It's always the time! I am always Uzumaki Naruto, future Hokage! I do what I want!"

"We'll see about that," Koharu muttered as he pushed up his glasses. "Ready, Shimura-san?"

The bandaged old man nodded. He set his hands before him, ready to perform a slew of hand seals.

"Ready, Naruto?"

"More than _you'll_ ever be," the blonde snarled through gritted teeth.

Koharu stuck a hand out, palm perpendicular to the ground, as if he were about to begin some sumo wrestling competition. "Begin."

The world around Naruto swirled into silence.

**o-x-o-x-o**

Sometimes I feel like Naruto lives his life running on adrenaline. As if he's always running away from a killer bear, and the only thing he can do to cope is minimize his situation with crude jokes and false boldness.

EDIT: mou, I knew I forgot to continue my AN. Anywho, as always, thank you guys so, so much for the support. I'd love to hear what you guys think of this chapter. It's sort of filler, but it leads up to quite an exciting chapter.

Also: I GOT EIGHTEEN REVIEWS FOR THE LAST CHAPTER. That makes me giddy. Beyond belief. So thank you to all of you guys.

All comments are appreciated!

Ja ne,

Vi


	9. Myriad Memories

Confluence

By Violet Garnets

**Chapter Nine: Myriad Memories**

**o-x-o-x-o**

_Bleeding. Was he bleeding? Was it blood that ran down his shirt? Or was it hope, trickling out as sharp beads of anger slipped their way inside and tore at him like a flurry of shuriken?_

Naruto groaned and clutched his side. A spontaneous agony coursed through his torso. "Danzou, you asshole."

He received no reply from the bandaged old geezer. Instead, a stifling pain rose within him and tore through his very core. Out the cut on his side a frightening fire raged. It grew and contorted into massive proportions until it formed the shape of the greatest of demons— the Kyuubi. Its tails ascended upward into the dark oblivion in a thundering roar. For a moment Naruto thought they looked like beacons of light, but quickly realized they were more like torturous spires than anything else. It radiated a searing heat so intense Naruto took a step back to give himself some air. The Kyuubi's angular nose was right in front of Naruto, no farther than two meters away. The demonic, slit eyes peered down on the young Jinchuuriki.

"Uzumaki Naruto."

"Crazy old fox." He bit his lip as he muttered. The pain was lessening, but it still hurt like a bitch. He looked down to see the last remnants of demon chakra exit his body and unite with the Kyuubi.

"Perhaps I am. For what reason should I be graced with your most esteemed presence, container?" Its mouth hardly moved, each word said through clenched teeth. Teeth as sharp as the blade of a newly forged katana.

"A duel," Naruto replied, furrowing his dark blonde eyebrows. "I need to beat you."

The monster suddenly roared and rumbled. Its tails flared and sparks spurted in every direction. It took the teen a minute to realize that the demon was _laughing_. "A duel? One little boy against me, master of all youkai?"

"This little boy's been keeping your ass in check for the past seventeen years," he quipped back. "Plus I manage to get sufficient demon chakra from you every time I need it."

The Kyuubi fell silent for a moment, recollecting itself. "True. You prove to have your father's speed. Swiping chakra from a youkai is not a simple thing to do."

Naruto resisted sticking his tongue out in triumph, partially out of self-respect but mostly out of the fear that he would bite off his own tongue if he did so.

"I do not understand, however, the reward for defeating what is already contained." The Kyuubi retained its expression of cunning but Naruto could tell the demon was genuinely curious.

"I gotta beat your ass so I can shut those assholes up!"

The tails shifted in the darkness.

"And, uh, you know...so I can be Hokage!"

The Kyuubi blinked once, its keen eyes still focused on the young blonde.

"Oh, and...protect people I care about! Like Sakura-chan, and Gaara, and Tsunade-baachan, and Kakashi—"

"Ah," the demon finally rumbled. Naruto sighed to himself. He had been getting increasingly nervous at the creature's silence. "Ankoku no Ookami no Shigeru. I did not know the gods would reincarnate him in such a manner."

"Reincarnation? The hell?" Naruto grumbled, then gasped. The stabbing in his side which had been ebbing away made a return. It seared through his side, as if someone had lined explosive powder from his ribs to his hip and set it on fire. He winced and clenched his teeth together. Unbearable.

"You will find out in time. But if he is Shigeru...then you..." The Kyuubi growled softly. "You must be Eien no Akira."

The blonde belted out a scream. Perhaps the name was a trigger, perhaps it wasn't, but the pain began to consume him entirely. He screamed. Screamed, until he thought his throat would bleed from the strain. He felt something (not something, someone) emerge from within him, ensnared him in its being. His body arched backwards and he wanted to collapse from the pressure, but a power kept it standing.

_He stood at the forefront of a crowd full of faces, smeared with mud and graced with cheeky smirks. "Taichou, we're ready," they shouted in unison._

"_Twenty moons…" he whispered to himself. Twenty moons since _that one_ had passed on, since he had decided to quest for revenge. Now was the chance. He would destroy those men tonight._

_He felt adrenaline coursing through his body alongside a feeling of pride, of utter fearlessness. "Let's go, men. We've got some stomachs to gut." He raised his weapon – a bow, not a sword – in front of them and released a guttural noise—a battle cry. The ensuing shouts pierced the sky and, for the briefest of moments, he thought that even heaven would shatter from the sound._

Despite it all, Naruto could still hear Kyuubi chuckle and speak. "Ah. You are. I suppose I have to choice in the matter now. I submit myself to you..."

Then, just like that, it dissolved into the darkness. First its head, then its body, and one by one the tails extinguished themselves. He could feel the chakra returning to his body, forcing its way back in. As the ninth and final tail disappeared Naruto fell to his knees, his arms the only thing holding him up. Painful tears arose from his eyes. He felt exhausted. Every bone and muscle in his body ached, shaking and trembling. But the pain, at least, had disappeared.

"Are you going to begin with your face already in the ground, Uzumaki-kun?" Danzou's voice rumbled from above. "You cannot possibly be that foolish."

"I'm…not," the blonde grumbled. "If you hadn't noticed, I've been a little preoccupied for the past ten minutes." He finally summoned the strength to look up and meet Danzou's eyes, which displayed the slightest amount of confusion.

"I have only just set the genjutsu," the elder said. "When I finished the hand seals, you were there on the ground."

Naruto choked. Seriously? All that had happened within seconds? He could have sworn it had been far longer.

Danzou made a noise to catch the jinchuuriki's attention. "If we may begin."

Slowly, the genin struggled to his feet. He took four, consistently deep breaths and closed his eyes. "Yeah. Start already."

The darkness shifted and swirled into the more familiar streets of Konoha. The signs of stores came into view, names he had seen many times before. Naruto was almost comforted, save for the fact that he knew what was to come. Tsunade had given him a general idea of what to expect from this sort of genjutsu, and how to succeed.

He sighed and furrowed his brows. "Here I go," he muttered and began to sprint towards the eastern gate. He had no idea how much time he had until it all began. In the meantime, he began to fiddle with his chakra levels, shifting them around so they focused towards his limbs. As he reached for the demon chakra, he felt it come to him much more smoothly than it had in earlier situations. Was it an effect of the genjutsu? But that didn't make sense. He was supposed to prove to the Konoha elders that he could take on the complete power of the Kyuubi. So what did this mean? Whatever. He'd figure it out later.

As expected, he found a fifteen year-old version of himself at the gate. It had been a while since he had seen that jumpsuit; it had been a while since he had worn any sort of jumpsuit, actually. He quickly returned his attention, however, upon seeing his younger self's face. Tempestuous tears trailed down his face and blue eyes were quickly narrowing and turning into a murderous red.

"Fuck you! Fuck this!" the genjutsu Naruto screamed as a huge chakra tail emerged from him. "I can't believe you would do this to your own home!" The tail surged into the air and the sky turned a murderous black.

"It is not home until it is under the right hands," an ominous voice stated, smooth and chilling to the core.

Naruto stopped at the gate, fury seizing him as he saw the speaker. He could already feel his anger matching that of his younger self. Tall and of a thin frame, the man was enshrouded by the scarlet clouds characteristic of black Akatsuki cloaks. An orange mask covered his face. Naruto clenched his teeth, breathing rapidly through his nose… Akatsuki no Tobi— or rather, Uchiha Madara.

**o-x-o-x-o**

Kakashi frowned from behind his _Icha Icha Tactics_ book, his train of thought splitting into forty different directions. Naruto had assumed a cross-legged position when Danzou set him under the genjutsu. The boy held an impressively straight posture, his eyes closed and brows knit in deep concentration. The lightly wind-chapped lips set themselves in a frank and slightly downturned position and every now and then Naruto unconsciously opened his mouth to reveal clenched teeth, as if in pain.

The jounin couldn't sleep the night before. Not having any strange dreams was certainly an upside and he had spent more than enough consecutive nights without sleep on various missions that one night wouldn't particularly affect his health. Stress from trivial matters like a kiss was a completely different story. Thinking about Naruto for seven hours tore his brain to pieces. Thinking about those sparkling blue eyes when the blonde pulled down the mask, how they shone with sheer bliss when Kakashi had promised that he would never give the younger man up for anything or anyone. About how his voice embodied something that sounded a bit like Kushina's energy and inner strength, but amplified and much warmer (the wife of the Yondaime, while bubbly, always held a coolness about her that relaxed those around her rather than excited them). About the way Naruto's feet turned to the left when he was nervous. About how those pliant lips had kissed him with such fear, touched on his own in the most extraordinary of ways.

But mostly he focused on the fear part. He had officially _fucked up_. How could that possibly have been a good idea, in any way? They "needed the contact"? Pathetic didn't even begin to cover it. He crossed so many lines…and now they formed a net over him. Suddenly the mask felt like a reminder of other things, suffocating him.

Naruto had been in a state of weakness and Kakashi had taken advantage of the situation to suit his own sick desires. Churning bile rose in his throat at the thought. The blonde was a touchy, affection-hungry person so a chaste kiss must have felt like a natural response. Countless situations told Kakashi that Naruto would never be interested in such a relationship; he was lucky that Naruto had only shrugged it off, probably out of shock. Damn it. Then again, that didn't explain why Naruto kissed him again before he left that night. So…did Naruto have feelings for him? _Fuck. _None of this made sense. What was he supposed to do from here?

The presence of a familiar chakra flow appeared behind him in the bushes, gratefully interrupting his thoughts. He made no obvious movements, besides taking one step back closer to the foliage. Kakashi glanced over at Tenzou, who nodded once before turning his attention back to the Jinchuuriki.

"How are things, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura whispered.

"Things look fine for now." He kept his eye focused, and fortunately noticed no changes in chakra from anyone nearby. So, they didn't notice her just yet. "You know you shouldn't be here," he drawled. "Anyone else with you?"

She didn't even bother responding to him, knowing full well he couldn't detect anyone else. "How does the genjutsu work again? It just…makes him relive a memory?"

"Essentially. But Danzou manipulates the memory as well, so everything's going to be intensified. Naruto needs to show that he can overcome his instinctual rage and defeat that part of him."

"But…isn't the memory of, the last attack?"

"Yes."

"But, that was six tails! He nearly died! Kakashi-sensei, how will he be able to control anything greater—"

"He'll be fine, Sakura-chan. You know his ability. Believe in him."

A long silence ensued. Eventually he heard her laugh softly. He glowed at the sound. It was the small moments like this one that made Kakashi believe he wasn't too bad as a teacher. He and Sakura always had the easiest of relationships in Team 7. Sasuke had shared far too many similarities with Kakashi so situations always intensified, like adding wood and gunpowder simultaneously to a fire. With Naruto, they were such opposites that they never knew how to properly connect. But between Kakashi and Sakura, it had always been one thing: teacher and student. Not broken kid to broken kid, not perverted old man to unsuspecting boy.

"Thank you, sensei. But promise me one thing?"

"Hn?"

"Promise…that you'll protect him. If anything happens, you'll help him."

"It's my job. I won't fail."

"I know. Just…never mind. Thank you." The bushes rustled for a brief second, but it was timed well as the wind picked up at that moment. He felt her chakra move away, presumably to return to hospital work. He smiled to himself. Good of her to focus on her work. He'd be sure to drop by later and let her know how everything went. At the moment, however, he had another priority to attend to.

Just then, Tenzou gave out a shout of surprise. "Kakashi! Naruto, he—"

Kakashi turned his attention. The boy was still in a tense meditative state, but flickers of demonic chakra began to swirl around him.

"What should we do?" the ANBU captain said, frowning. The other shinobi present had adopted defensive stances, pulling out their weapons or preparing for hand seals.

"How's the seal?" he asked. If things got out of hand and Kyuubi emerged, this number of skilled ninja might be enough, but it also depended on how far the tails would progress.

"Well, fine, but the chakra levels are rising—"

Kakashi shook his head. "No. I believe in him. Just watch…for now."

That's when the boy's eyes snapped open, like flashes of blue lightning. Although the genjutsu had clearly finished, the tendrils of chakra still sizzled in the daylight, and the jounin couldn't decide if this was a good ending or a bad one.

**o-x-o-x-o**

Naruto wanted to call out, shout "Hey! Look this way! Stop, damn it!" But he couldn't. That wasn't how this godforsaken system worked. So he watched, for a brutal minute, watched himself turn into the monster he was— or was it the monster he contained? It was difficult to say, especially as he watched himself grow into such a grotesque caricature.

He couldn't do it. So he turned his attention to Madara. The man simply disintegrated, having done his job. Naruto swore quietly. How could he have fallen for such a stupid, simple trap? But it would never happen again, he was sure of this.

"Hey! Moron! Look over here!" He finally screamed, a sense of relief at having finally said those words. But it was quickly replaced with anxiety, this irreprehensible fear of facing himself— or rather, the monster within himself.

The creature flicked out another tail, then another, until six massive tails blemished the sky. It snarled at Naruto, narrowed its slit eyes and scrunched its face tightly. He took a tiny comfort in the color of the eyes, scarlet rather than his own blue. Fighting a bastardization of him was so much easier than fighting himself. Viewing that destroyer as someone other than himself…

He summoned up the reserves of demonic chakra, felt it fill up his hands and feet quickly, easily, as if he had not been struggling with the problem for the past four years of his life. By this time the six-tailed Naruto had charged him with unbelievable speed and he barely dodged the punch aimed at him. He marveled at his own speed; he just evaded an attack from a superhuman source, completely lucid. The hell?

No matter, he'd figure that out later, talking to people smarter than him. Right now… "I've got a stupid brat to crush!"

With that he whipped around, placed his hands together to create the appropriate hand seals – Tiger, Snake, Ram – and shouted, "Fuuton: Yoko Oroshi!" A huge twister blazed out of his hands and the vortex of wind encased the other Jinchuuriki. It hissed, attempting to amp its power. By this point, Naruto could hardly find any similarities between himself and the other, a monster beyond recognition.

To Naruto's great satisfaction, his own demonic-infused chakra latched onto that of the six-tailed Naruto, locking it in where it stood. Steadily siphoning his own personal chakra in it, the two opposing energies came together through a magnetic pull. It was really a top of the head moment, but he figured that the demonic chakra would want to coalesce and be one, no matter who the original wielder was. If he could contain it and control it with his own power, then the other Naruto was trapped. And he would win. Now it was time to end this.

With his free hand and the quick formation of a lightly glowing clone, a swirling ball of chakra began to swirl. Unlike previous Rasengan, it blazed in a white-violet light, almost painful to look at. The color reminded him vaguely of sunrise over an ocean, that thin line where sea and sun met, an ultimate joining of immense powers. He freed the wind release and charged through the dissipating winds. As he passed, the remnants of the cyclone clung onto the Rasengan and it grew, grew, grew.

"Rasengan…Jigoku Kara!"

The sunrise washed over him, and the unearthly shriek blended into the calm.

"I must admit, Naruto, your growth is most…impressive." Danzou's voice resonated, buzzing in the vacuum. The tone was even, for the most part, although Naruto wondered if Danzou didn't sound a little intimidated. At the very least he sounded exhausted. Naruto couldn't wait until the genjutsu broke and he got to see Danzou curled up like a newborn from the pain.

"Hell yeah it is," he sneered back, rather disgruntled by the geezer's presence in such a pleasant environment. It wasn't often that he got to experience being literally bathed in light. "So what happens when you break the genjutsu? Will you all leave me alone?"

There was no response. Naruto lurched forward as the light shattered, and once more he found himself in darkness. He opened bleary eyes to see Danzou collapse and to hear the crowd of shinobi gasp, but the world began to spin.

He fell back into a strong hold before blacking out for the third time that day. His final thought was really rather simple:

_This shit has _got _to stop._

**o-x-o-x-o**

Er...yeah. I have no excuses for the quality, but I've been away for two weeks, so that excuses the lateness! Thanks, as always, for all the comments, favorites, alerts, everything~. You guys are fabulous people. Does all this make sense to you so far? We'll do some more unraveling in the future chapters! Thanks for reading!

Comments are always appreciated!

Ja ne,  
Vi


	10. Collecting Fractions

Confluence

By Violet Garnets

**Chapter Ten: Collecting Fractions**

**o-x-o-x-o**

Naruto groaned, awakening from a haze of burbling dreams, full of names and faces scattered in his mind. He blinked his eyes open slowly to find Sakura pulling away from him, her hands shifting his pillow around.

"Naruto? Are you awake?"

He blinked again and everything came into better focus. But he was so tired… "Yeah," he moaned and yawned loudly.

She smiled and tilted her head to the side, and a few of the delicate strands of hair in her face moved out of the way. "Really now," she said simply. "How're you feeling?"

"Ti~ired," he whined and turned over to the side. "Hospital beds make me sleepy."

She scoffed, and Naruto could hear her flip the pages on a clipboard. "You know, it's a little pathetic that you've been in here enough to make that a reliable statement. But you're free to go when you feel like it, Naruto— and you'd better be out of here by the end of the day."

"But I'm si~ick, Sakura-chan. Take care of me!"

"All you did was pass out from fatigue, you moron. You've been sleeping for a day and a half already anyway."

Well, there went that act. He gave up and sighed loudly as he sat up in bed. Room 331, as far as he could tell by the stain on the wall across from him and the crack in the bedside table. The hospital had a tendency to assign patients to the same room, especially for the chronic ones. It made life a little more…normal. "Ne, Sakura-chan? Have you heard…about the decision? Am I good to go?"

She finished penning something down before she looked up. Her eyes gave away the answer before she even spoke, shining bright like summer leaves in the daytime. "I think it'll be fine, Naruto. Don't worry about it."

He smiled back.

"Besides, Kakashi-sensei should be here in a few hours to let you know anyway. They're on their third meeting already— as if it was really that hard to decide…" Sakura fell into an incoherent mumble, and Naruto just sat there watching her as she methodically clenched and unclenched her fist. God, she was beautiful, even when she was pissed off. He remembered why he used to have a crush on her, although he learned that her fiery personality was worth far more than her slender form and pretty lips. But then he discovered the kindness and strength of someone else, and that his crush for Sakura was traded for two things far better: a perfect friendship with her…and love, for someone else. Perhaps not a mutual love, but it certainly felt nice to have.

"You've had some visitors, you know," Sakura's voice broke through his musing. She pointed to the windowsill and he followed her gaze. The table underneath had an array of little tokens, mostly cups of ramen and little messages…and a ruler. He raised an eyebrow at the ruler and pointed to it.

Sakura giggled. "That was Sai. He thinks you might actually have balls now, so that would come in handy."

Naruto choked.

"And Kakashi-sensei's been here, a lot."

He fell silent and stared at her, his eyes wide and unblinking. "Really?"

"Yeah," she responded softly. "It's sweet, really. I'm kind of jealous."

"What do you mean by that?"

She rolled her eyes and scoffed lightly. "You'll figure it out."

"No, really, Sakura-chan—"

There was a knock at the door and for a moment Naruto thought he saw a tall frame in the doorway. But it was only another medic-nin, disheveled-looking with his glasses askew and his hair ruffled.

"Ah, Haruno-senpai? There's an ANBU holding onto his severed arm downstairs. I think he's still under a genjutsu, and—"

"Yeah, yeah, I got it." She sighed and ran her hand up her arm, as if rolling up a sleeve. "Kick the guy's ass so we can save his life. Same old, same old. Go get some anesthetic."

"Yes ma'am!"

She turned to look at the patient, her hair flicking back into place. "Get some rest. I'll come back in an hour or two."

Naruto flashed her a thumbs up. His curiosity could be quelled, for now. As she stormed out of the room, and he felt a little empathy for the guy she was going to pummel. The sucker would be in the hospital far longer than necessary. And she'd probably be the attending too. He snickered. The poor bastard.

There was a knock at the door, three sharp raps. "I'm decent!" He yelled, grinning.

"As if you've got any reason to be naked due to fatigue," Kankuro scoffed as he entered the room. Temari and Gaara followed him in, all of them looking a little more tired than usual. Gaara's circles seemed even more pronounced, if that was possible.

"Kankuro! Gaara! Temari!" Naruto cried jubilantly. They all gathered at the foot of his bed.

"None of us would be surprised if he did it anyway though," Gaara added.

Temari smirked at the comment. "Hey, Naruto-kun."

"Is the meeting done yet? What'd they say?" He sat up straighter and leered at the three siblings. They were all unfazed by his attempts to be intimidating.

"You might want to stay away from Interrogation, Naruto-kun. It's not your thing," Kankuro said with a grin.

"Shaddup, Bruises." He ignored the older man's protest at the makeup jab and stared Gaara down instead. "Are they gonna leave me alone?"

The Kazekage stared back for a moment, blinked his glassy green eyes, and then slowly shook his head. "I don't know. We were there to offer our opinion about Danzou's story, but the final decision is left to your people."

The blond groaned and flailed back into bed, his arms outstretched.

"Danzou still wants you out," Temari supplemented. "He says that now you're too powerful and you would be a threat to the town."

Kankuro walked to the window and opened it, sighing with appreciation when a breeze wafted in. "That old man is just scared though, I can tell. He's afraid you actually might have enough strength to kill him and quash his stupid plans."

"He better be scared."

"Is it true though? That you could summon the demon power immediately? And you avoided the six-tails' attack?" Gaara crossed his arms and just slightly quirked an eyebrow.

Naruto shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. I had this crazy conversation with the Kyuubi, and then it called me Eien no Akira, and then I was in front of a buncha people, and— "

The blonde woman held a gloved hand out and cut him off. "Wait…we never heard this from Danzou. Was it part of the genjutsu?"

He shook his head. "Danzou didn't even notice that it happened. It was, all in my head, but…not in a part Danzou could access, I guess."

The Sand siblings looked at one another, curiosity and confusion on all their faces in different manners— a raised eyebrow from Gaara, a pursing of the lips from Temari, and a crinkling of the nose from Kankuro.

"Does Eien no Akira sound familiar to you guys too?" Temari asked.

The brothers nodded.

"But, how would you guys know 'bout this guy?" Naruto sat back up again, confusion etched in every feature of his face.

Kankuro shook his head. "I think we heard about him in a history thing. It's been awhile though. You remember anything else, Gaara?"

"…I think he was chronicled in the last days of the nomadic clans, before the nations were formed."

They fell silent, all absorbed in trying to recollect old information.

"This history, do you think Konoha would have it?" Naruto inquired. If it was here, he had to find it. Because the history was related to Akira, and Akira had a relation to Shigeru, who was probably some ghost that possessed Kakashi or something… he definitely had to figure this out.

Temari shrugged. "I'm sure it'd be in the archives. There probably won't be too much of it though; the nations are more concerned with their own history than with what happened before."

"If anything, it will be at home in Suna and we will relay what we can find, if you wish," Gaara supplemented.

"Thanks, guys." Naruto flashed a smile at them. Temari and Kankuro returned it. Gaara twitched the ends of his mouth for a second, and that was more than enough for Naruto.

"We'll be going now," Kankuro announced. "Gaara needs to be back by nightfall for a meeting. Iron wants to start trading with us. They finally figured out that neutrality doesn't mean they can't do business."

"Take care of yourself," Gaara said, and then they all left in single file, although Naruto chuckled a little when Gaara accidentally stepped on Kankuro's heel and the man fell over.

"Timber!" He shouted after them.

He sat back for a few long moments, relishing in the quiet. However, a thought struck Naruto, suddenly, like a flash of lightning. He inhaled deeply, stuck a hand out, and began to move his chakra around, until it was mostly demonic chakra flowing into his arm. He left enough of his own to protect himself from its more dangerous properties. Like before, it came to him easily, almost as if the Kyuubi was offering it up for Naruto to take, but that was too far-fetched. It was more like the Kyuubi was casting a blind eye, apathetic of whether the host used it or not. In any case, it was certainly a strange turn.

The orange-red chakra found its core in Naruto's palm, a bit like a flame. He focused a little harder, furrowing his eyebrows in concentration, and it sparked in all directions before forming a little star. The blond stared in awe.

"Well, that's kind of pretty," a voice from the door said.

Startled, Naruto dropped his focus and the star sunk into his hand with a hiss. He yowled and immediately tried to redistribute the chakra before it burnt a hole in his hand. He succeeded, but there was still a smoking singe on his arm. Swearing, he flicked his head up to see Shikamaru and Ino at the door. He held back the slew of insults he had mentally prepared and instead grumbled a pained, "Hey."

"Sorry!" Ino squeaked. "I didn't think you would hurt yourself!"

"Nah, it's cool. Thanks for coming, guys."

Shikamaru immediately walked to the window and snapped it shut. "Who opened the window? That's a breach of security, especially with you in here. Tch. So troublesome."

"Oh, uh, that was uh…yeah. Don't worry about it," Naruto mumbled. He had heard through the grapevine that Shikamaru and Kankuro had been on testy terms as of late, although the details had been muddled. The blond figured it had something to do with the relationship between Temari and Shikamaru, or rather, the lack thereof. No one knew exactly what was going on, whether the two had had a fight, or someone tried to ask the other out and got rejected, or if it was just speculation. In any case, Naruto had no desire to fuel the fire. "Where's Chouji?"

"He had something to do with his family," Ino responded, with a slight pink tinge gracing her face. "I mean, I'm not supposed to be here right now either—"

"He proposed, **didn't he**?" Naruto shouted with glee, a near-lecherous grin on his face. "That's why he said not to say anything about you two when we went out to eat! That bastard!" He would have to treat Chouji out to barbecue sometime soon. Shikamaru gave him a pointed look, and his grin gave way to cackling. The other boy shook his head and rolled his eyes.

Ino turned a darker red. "We're not here to discuss my love life…if anything, it's about yours!"

The blond boy clammed up. "What?"

"I know who it is!"

"Nu-uh!" was the immediate, childish response. "It's only been two days!"

She crossed her arms and glared at him, her gaze icy. "I'm not stupid, Naruto-kun. Just because I work with Shikamaru and he makes everyone look like a moron..." She recomposed herself and continued. "Anyway, we caught the end of your exhibition or whatever, when you collapsed and it's _him_! The guy who caught you!"

"Who caught me?" he asked stupidly, although he had a feeling he knew who already.

"Kakashi-sensei, right?"

"I didn't know he caught me," he muttered petulantly and knew that his cheeks were probably already the color of the Akatsuki cloaks.

She pointed an accusatory finger at him and grinned. "It is, isn't it? I knew it!"

"Shikamaru…" Naruto whined. "_Do_ something."

The prodigy shrugged and stretched his arms over his head with a bored yawn. "There's nothing to do. Ino's just happy she knows as much as I do now."

The blond sighed. "You're helpful. But Ino-san, don't go spreading this all over the place! I don't want him to find out or anything."

She giggled. "Lucky for you, he's not only the most anti-social man on the planet, he's the second-most oblivious."

Naruto was a little assuaged by it, but…"Wait, who's number one?"

Shikamaru scoffed. "You can't be serious."

"No, really, who?"

The blonde girl glanced over at her teammate, who shook his head and rolled his eyes. "It'll happen," he said.

"What'll happen? Are you guys talking about me staying?"

At this time, there was a soft knock at the door. The same flustered man from before, his glasses set more properly on his face this time, blinked profusely before he stammered out a shaky "Uh, uh, Haruno-senpai has requested your leave, uh," and he looked down at his clipboard quickly before continuing, "Uzumaki-san!"

"You're new, aren't you?" Ino noted.

"Uh, is it that obvious?" The man said with a wince.

She nodded. "Yeah, it's 'cause you're afraid of an idiot like this." She pointed towards the hospital bed, where Naruto grinned cheekily.

"Um, uh, well, thanks. It was nice to meet you all." The man dipped his head and closed the door.

The blonde kunoichi giggled. "Poor thing. Sakura's going to demolish him."

Shikamaru shrugged. "We'll leave you to dress up and stuff. See you later."

"Let me know if you need any advice on boys!" Ino winked before she traipsed out after her teammate.

Naruto ignored her and waved them goodbye before practically leaping out of bed. Of course, still a little light-headed, he ended up wobbling a little on hitting ground. Oh well. He had to go find Kakashi. Or anyone who could tell him about the final decision.

But really, he wanted to hear it from Kakashi.

However, on getting dressed (and covering his hand burn with a bandage, finally), he realized he had no idea where to find the elusive Copy-nin of Konoha. They might still be in a meeting, or Kakashi might be sleeping in his apartment from exhaustion, or something. Oh well. It was mid-afternoon. Naruto could kill some time. Actually, he was starving, and Lee had just given him a nice box of limited edition ramen cups, so maybe he could inhale his way through that…yup, it was a plan.

As he made his way home, he caught sight of a few friends, all busy in something or other. Chouji had apparently finished with his family, and now was on the hunt to tell Ino. Naruto laughed and clapped him on the back, congratulating the pair. But it was a short-lived conversation, and they parted ways with a promise to dinner. Sai was standing curiously in front of a store with blackened windows, and inquired on its purpose as Naruto passed by. Naruto shook his head and pushed the pale boy in, shutting the door behind him. Sai would probably end up purchasing a torrent of books full of questionable content there, and the owner would probably be glad to have another customer besides Kakashi.

But with all these relationships working out around him, Naruto began to feel a little morose. Dealing with potential in-laws, preparing for a wedding, working around protective family members, discovering sex and emotions… they were such menial problems.

But they were problems Naruto would probably never get to experience.

Face it, that one kiss (and that other one, the one where he cheated and it wasn't reciprocated) was a once in a lifetime thing. Kakashi obviously had some mental things to work through, and probably had been in a state of delirium or something.

He had never shown Naruto anything other than simple affection, the friendly kind from a teammate.

Well, unless you counted that Kakashi had caught him during the chakra training. And after he had kicked Pain's ass. Or that he was kind of touchier around Naruto than around other people, or at least he let Naruto touch him more. But really, that didn't mean anything. Besides, Kakashi had done plenty of mean things! Yeah, that's right.

He taught Sasuke the Chidori and taught Naruto how to walk on a tree, pretty much. Well actually, Kakashi admittedly tried to teach Naruto the Chidori, but the blond had been too stupid, too weak, and had no affinity for lightning. So it wasn't Kakashi's fault…

Plus he was so kind, and strong too…and he was always there, in the end…

Naruto sighed. "I hate this," he muttered as he clambered up the stairs to his apartment.

"Mou, I'm insulted, Naruto-kun. I brought you takeout and everything, and you hate me?"

He snapped his head up to find Kakashi leaning against the wall by his apartment door, holding up a bag of something that smelled suspiciously like cooling ramen.

"We were going to celebrate your permanent residency," Kakashi sighed, petulant, but the way his eye crinkled and the movement of muscles under that mask suggested that he wasn't very upset at all.

Naruto couldn't help but grin, although his heart simultaneously fell, knowing dinners with Kakashi would be about as close as he got to the man. "I hate you, Kakashi-sensei."

"Why?" the jounin whined and Naruto could see that pout, even if it was covered with a mask.

"I have no idea."

**o-x-o-x-o**

Yo, it's the tenth chapter and still nothing's happened! xD I admit it, I'm terrible with plot progression. But look out, the next chapter's got some revelations, and hopefully a little bit more will be explained to all of us. I'm considering a third POV to work with, someone far away from Konoha, someone who's got some problems too, but we'll see. I'm having hard enough a time with just two perspectives! Anyway, there was a dip in reviews lately. Mou, I wonder why. But hey, I love each and every comment I get, even if it's one little one. So thank you all! Hope you're all doing well. I hope I can stick to my consistent schedule even as school starts.

Comments are always appreciated, thanks for reading!

Ja ne,

Vi


	11. Move With Trepidation

Confluence

By Violet Garnets

**Chapter Eleven: Move With Trepidation**

**o-x-o-x-o**

An hour had already passed, and Naruto was _still_ on his first bowl of ramen. It was a record, Kakashi had noted with a smirk, an expression that made his blond companion gulp and look away, shoving another mouthful of noodles in his mouth.

Naruto wondered how long it would take him to get used to seeing Kakashi's face. For the time being, it felt like he never would get used to it. He didn't want to. In the late afternoon light, the jinchuuriki realized that the scars on Kakashi's face were much deeper than he thought them to be, and extremely pale in color. He noticed the precise movements of the jaw as the jounin opened his mouth, closed, and chewed. There was also the matter of the way his neck muscles rippled as he took a swallow, slow, oh christ, _so slow_. The younger man sighed, thinking about the motions of that mouth if there were other particular things in it…

"You doing okay, Naruto?"

"Huh?" He shook his head. He willed his blush down and out of his face and finally responded, breathless. "I'm just, you know, happy. Yeah. So happy I'm in shock!"

"You shouldn't be that surprised. Even from Danzou's understated story, it sounded like you had no problem with it. Which is good. Two years away should give you that upper hand. What's this I hear about a new Rasengan though?" Kakashi smiled, expectant, and all of a sudden Naruto felt like passing out. Those white teeth were kind of unbearable to look at, in a good way, not like how Gai hurt souls with the blinding color of his teeth. No wonder Kakashi kept a mask on. Naruto never would have gotten anything done training with a man who looked like _this_.

He ran a hand through his hair, grabbing onto the locks right on top, and sighed. What had he done, exactly? He pouted, trying to remember.

"Danzou said you called it the Rasengan from Hell," Kakashi supplemented.

"Oh! Right." He laughed, and Kakashi only shook his head and smiled even more. "I don't know. I can really control the Kyuubi's chakra now, so I decided to use it with my own wind-based chakra and stuff. But it's really weird, sensei, and I was going to ask you about it. Look!"

He placed his bowl down and set the chopsticks over it on the table, then stood up and moved a few steps away. If anything happened and he was interrupted again, he certainly didn't want to burn a hole through his furniture.

He stuck his hand out in front of him, palm up and held onto the wrist with his other hand. He inhaled, let the chakra flow through his body, feeling it as it circulated through, and slowly a little star began to form in his palm. His breath caught for a moment as he considered the movement in his body, how he felt like the world began to expand and contract simultaneously but really just revolve around him. He had never felt so...at ease. "See? I think I can even shape it however I want." He breathed again, and the star pulled in to form a cylindrical rod. "It's like, made of Kyuubi chakra but wrapped in my own, you know? If it was bigger, I'd have a pretty awesome bo staff."

"Can you make siphon more chakra into your arm?" Kakashi, by this time, was standing as well and found his way to Naruto's right side.

"I think so. I haven't tried it yet though. I don't really get the chakra balance yet."

"Naruto. Don't move."

He obeyed, but a growing nervousness appeared in his chest. It was anticipation, he realized. He was anticipating something. And suddenly, he felt a pressure against his back as a large hand snaked its way down his arm and placed itself on his tanned wrist. "Do you feel that?" Kakashi asked, his voice low.

Naruto didn't know how to respond. Did he feel the warmth radiating off of the man behind him? Hell yeah he did. But he was pretty sure that wasn't what Kakashi was talking about. He closed his eyes, reassessed himself.

And there. That was it, a little pulsing in his wrist, energy at once familiar and unfamiliar. "Yeah," he whispered, unsure of why his tone had dropped to such a quiet level. "It's your chakra, right?"

Then Kakashi's head was to the side of his own. The older man nodded, and quietly Naruto relished in the way his hair caressed he silver locks, the proximity of such a gentle jaw line.

"Try your best on your own. If anything happens, if the Kyuubi's chakra is too much, I'll curb the damage. I'm here."

That was enough. This was more, than enough. Naruto nodded. "Right." So he tried to pull up the reserves of demon chakra, in a slow trickle, but it proved more difficult than he thought. It surged for a second and he yelped, instinctively moving backward— into a broad chest.

"Still here, Naruto. You're doing fine," the man said, and for a second Naruto believed he could feel Kakashi nuzzling the back of his head with his nose.

So the little rod grew, until it was about the length of half a typical bo staff. At this point, he only molded his own chakra around his hand, where it would cause damage. "I think…I'm doing okay."

Kakashi chuckled. "I'll let go now then."

Disappointment brewed inside the blond as his back suddenly felt cooler, and the pulsing in his wrist stopped. But he had to focus. As Kakashi let go, the ends of the rod lost their shape and flared. But by now, Naruto had stopped the siphoning so they didn't grow any larger than the size of his palm. It looked a little like a staff with the ends set on fire. Rearranging the chakra in his other arm, he grabbed onto the staff with both hands. It settled into his grasp with little trouble, as if it wanted to fit in.

"You could be a baton twirler in the festivals," Kakashi said drily.

"Shaddup. I could slice you in half with this thing." He turned around to face the other man, his knees bent in a fighting stance.

"Touché." He replied, and held his hands up in front of him. His dark eye was nearly closed as he grinned sheepishly.

Naruto grinned, stood up straight, and molded more chakra into his other hand. With that he put his hands together, and the chakra returned to him through both arms, down his chest and into the seal on his stomach. "Well. That was cool."

"More than that, Naruto. This is something really new. I haven't heard of anything like it. Killer Bee merges with his demon to gain full power. This must be the step right below it."

"Merging?" He scoffed. "Kyuubi doesn't seem very up for it. But um, it's actually uh…friendlier now."

"Hmm. Maybe it's not quite the time for merging yet— wait, what do you mean by 'friendlier'?"

The blonde giggled and scratched the back of his head nervously. "Uh, you remember how I told you that you passed out in your apartment?" He turned his head to get a look at Kakashi. The jounin crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow, and Naruto knew that Kakashi already knew. "I was lying," he said, sighing. "Actually, you kind of fell into this trance thing. You called me 'Akira'."

Kakashi shook his head and looked down. "Why didn't you just— wait. I did something to you, didn't I?"

"Why would you think that?" Naruto tried to keep his expression deadpan but christ, what was up with the sweat beading at his temples?

"You turned all red, and left in such a hurry, Naruto. I'm not stupid."

The younger one winced. "It's not really a big deal, I mean, I don't really mind…"

"Naruto."

"You uh…felt me up? And then you sort of just slumped over?" He squeaked and looked away, to the counter, to the row of ramen cups, to anything but Kakashi's face. "But I mean, you weren't being yourself, and you thought I was another guy and you thought I was older and yeah…"

"Sorry. That's uncalled for, Naruto. Maybe I should—"

The words spilled out his mouth before he had a chance to even think and he met Kakashi's gaze. "No, I mean, you couldn't help it! You didn't even know what was going on! And I already said it's not like I minded anyway 'cause like, you're really good at it!"

They fell silent, staring at each other blankly. Naruto could feel that heat rush to his face, but he couldn't bring himself to break the gaze. There was only one solution: if he talked long enough, they would both forget he said that.

"I mean, I'm a man, something like that, and you know, things like that about growing up or whatever…and that's not even the point 'cause I think that something's going on with the two of us about reincarnation and shit, and I don't really ever think about that kind of stuff but being away and getting older makes your crazier or something, I mean, that's what happened to that old pervert Jiraiya-sensei and... Yeah." It took every muscle in his body not to just collapse into the floor and just set himself on fire somehow.

Then he heard a laugh and it threw him off guard. Despite himself, he felt automatically relieved at the low rumble. He dared to sneak a glance upward and saw that Kakashi had sat down against the wall, his knees bent and his arms resting on top. His head was tucked in, so Naruto could only see the bottom of his face under all the hair. The man had whispered something under his breath, but Naruto was too nervous to ask what he had said.

"Naruto, can I ask you something?"

"Uh…yeah."

"Do you think you're gay?"

"Um… what if I am?"

"Then how long have you known?"

He shrugged. "That's not how it works, right? Don't you always know?" Naruto sat down cross-legged across from the jounin, who still had his head down. "It's just…you don't really accept it. Or whatever."

"What about Sakura? You liked her, didn't you?"

"Bisexual, then. That's' what they call it, right? And I guess I've always known that. Just… you know. I didn't really think about it until lately. Why?"

"I wanted to know."

"Can I ask you a question then?"

Kakashi looked up, shot a look at the other man that was rather incomprehensible. "What?"

"Are _you_?"

"Does it matter?"

And Naruto realized that he was leaning precariously forward, to the point where his chin was just above Kakashi's knees and hands. He pulled himself back and considered the question.

"Well, either you're gay or your past life was gay, or I was actually a woman. Or something."

"What do you mean?" The expression in his face changed, and his lips relaxed in the slightest way. Naruto sniffed and resisted the urge to just pull at the man's collar and kiss him.

"Well, uh, why else would you do that to me the other night?"

Kakashi bit his lip, and Naruto finally noticed the little scrape marks along the lip where Kakashi had obviously bit too hard. He wanted to point it out, say how endearing that was, ask if Kakashi did that often, and if he could lick up the blood next time. But he didn't. That would be stupid. Yes, Naruto had his moments, but he sure as hell knew that was a bad idea.

"What do you know so far, Naruto?" He finally asked, and the way his eyebrows set showed his return to a comfortable area. Naruto decided he liked this better as well.

He scrunched up his face in concentration, trying to put together as many pieces as possible. "Uh, well, let's see…The Kyuubi called me Akira, and you called me Akira. So that makes me someone who looks like Akira. Or a reincarnation. However that works. And you're Shigeru. I think. Since Kyuubi called you that."

"And…"

"And you might be gay."

Kakashi brought a palm to his face.

Naruto grinned. "It's true though! That's why you let me kiss you!" He pointed an accusatory finger, and felt bubbles rising in his chest.

A grey eye met blue ones, flashing. Kakashi opened his mouth to say something, but then closed it again, a motion so quick Naruto hardly caught it.

"Some part of me."

Fuck Hatake Kakashi and his cryptic answers, the blonde thought darkly as the bubbles popped and his morale dropped along with his whole body, slouching heavily. He leaned back and sighed loudly, pointedly ignoring the confused look on the other man's face.

"What?" Kakashi asked. When Naruto merely stuck his tongue out, Kakashi shrugged and continued on his own soliloquy. "I guess we could piece that with what I know…what I've been…dreaming." The last word left his lips slowly, reluctantly, something he didn't want to give up. Or place a name to. Now he was interested again.

Naruto cocked his head to the side and said, "What do you mean?" He hoped the way his body inched forward said what his voice couldn't: _You can trust me. Please trust me._

_Please touch me._

The jounin began, slowly. "I, uh…I've been having these dreams. Dreams that I'm not me, but I am, but I'm not…I'm going insane. Sasuke was in my last one. But I called him Ryuji. Did, uh, some research yesterday. There's a Ryuji in the archives of pre-country clans. If we want to tie that dumb idea with your reincarnation hypothesis…" he trailed off, and Naruto noticed the passing of a blush on the man's cheeks.

The ideas clicked together, quickly, perhaps because it was obvious. Or perhaps because he wanted it to be true that much.

Just as the copy-nin was about to bury his head into his hands, Naruto grabbed one hand and pinned it to the floor, deftly straddling the man and capturing his lips in one swift motion.

_Please let it be true._

He knew it was, could feel that Kakashi's hand was moving purely on instinct, coming to rest on the back of his head and gripping at the hair lightly. In return, the younger one lifted both his hands to hold the other's face, pulling him as close as possible. To get _to him_ as best he could.

And flashes of light sparked in his mind, here and there, and he tasted snowflakes on his tongue, cold and fragile and god so fucking beautiful—

_He pulled on a coat, relishing in the soft furs, and stepped out of the tent to be greeted with a thwack to the head. "Hey!" he squeaked and rubbed the sore spot gently. _

_The man, his light hair brilliant against the backdrop of snow, held a large bow and wore an indecipherable expression. He smiled, but he couldn't tell if it was threatening or sincere. "You're late," the young one said._

_He shrugged his coat into place. "Shouldn't I be saying that? I fell asleep waiting for _you_, you moron!"_

"_You promised we'd practice our kyudo today. Of course I'd show up…eventually."_

_A feeling seized him, but he forced it down and allowed himself only to ruffle the other's hair, so soft and light, like the smoke of incense. "Alright!" He pumped a fist in the air. "Let's get some work done!" And he dashed off, too scared to look back, terrfied find an expression that would hurt him and gladden him, so much that his body would just crumble from the impact of emotions._

He snapped his head back, eyes wide. Kakashi had the same expression, his mouth agape, his visible eye dilated. A sunny afternoon light fell on them, but Naruto only felt cold, not completely unpleasant, but one that left him shivering, the hairs on the back of his head rising and tingling.

"Did…did you…"

"You had facial hair," Kakashi blurted out.

"You were younger!" Naruto said, concurrently. "And your eyes matched!"

They stared at one another for a long moment. Naruto felt the gears in his head shudder and crack. None of this made sense.

"Uh…what do we do now?" He finally asked, sick of the silence. Obviously they couldn't go back to kissing, Naruto thought ruefully. But there were other, more pressing matters at hand. He sucked on his bottom lip with great consideration, waiting for Kakashi's response.

"Uh…do some research?"

"Works for me. Are the Hokage's archives open now?"

"If not, you can practice your infiltration." Kakashi shrugged, but there was definitely something forced about the movements. "And let's go find Sakura. Or Shikamaru."

Naruto mustered up his best resolve. "Right." As they came to their feet, he grabbed for Kakashi's gloved hand. They had already kissed (three times, no less), surely this couldn't be that bad.

The man looked back at him in surprise and a certain expression flickered across his face. Naruto couldn't describe it, but he could describe his own feelings at seeing such a look: a sinking in his chest, a strange urge to cry.

"You sure you want to do this?" Kakashi asked, his voice hollow.

"Yes."

So Kakashi smiled, more a decisive placement of the lips than a true smile. "You've always lived without regrets, Naruto."

"It's the only way to live!" His voice cracked as he said it, but he grinned, pouring his all into it.

The copy-nin shook his head, the smile slipping from him. He whispered something, but Naruto couldn't catch it.

"What was that, Kakashi?" Careful to keep off the honorific, Naruto thought. Careful to get closer, as close as he could.

"Nothing. Just making wishes."

With that, Naruto felt himself tugged out of the room, and they headed towards the archives, their eyes peeled for two intelligent shinobi.

**o-x-o-x-o**

Mou, my most sincere apologies for the lateness. I know it's been late by a week, but nevertheless. I started school last month and classes just enjoy eating my writing time. I hope I don't fall behind too much, and I'll try to consistently work on this as often as I can. As always, seeing all the reviews and alerts and favorites make me smile, so I definitely appreciate it.

I hope this chapter worked out for you guys; thanks for all the comments. I'm attempting to work with a cliché but also twist it at the same time, so I hope that it works out as we go along. Feedback is glorious~!

Ja ne,

Vi


	12. A Hindrance

Confluence

By Violet Garnets

**Chapter Twelve: A Hindrance**

**o-x-o-x-o**

Tsunade had indeed allowed them into the archives, despite the fact that Kakashi kept her in the dark about the situation. "It's about the same thing as last time," he had said and given her a pointed look. But it didn't matter much, as they had made their way to the archives.

Kakashi was unsure of whether or not he should be grateful that they found Sakura to take along with them to the archives. Naruto and he had fumbled their way through explaining the situation to her, and one of them (Naruto wouldn't admit to it, the brat) had somehow let it slip that they had shared a less than typical moment. She had promptly burst into a fit of uncontrollable laughter and nearly fell off the edge of the table she was sitting on.

Kakashi and Naruto shuffled uncomfortably while she enjoyed the images playing through her head, gave each other pointed looks before blushing painfully, and then split off to different ends of the library to begin research. Although really, the jounin could hardly focus on the titles of the scrolls and spines, let alone actually research. He scrunched himself on the floor of an aisle and waited for the red to leave his cheeks and for Sakura's laughter to die down into hiccups.

Regardless, painful thoughts blended in his mind. Naruto had kissed him again… Naruto admitted to being bisexual… it should have been easy from there, right? Not to mention the whole reincarnation thing.

Assuming that was true, and Kakashi and Naruto had really spent a past life together or something absurd like that and he had had strong feelings for the past Naruto... it didn't solve anything, at all. Nothing proved that Naruto's past felt the same way about him. It could have been unrequited, even then. If it weren't, if they really...cared for one another in that way, well...maybe Kakashi didn't love Naruto after all. Maybe it was just residual feelings, a few lifetimes overdue. He groaned at the prospect. That he never had any real reason to love THIS Naruto, that it was all...preordained. It made his skin prickle. He hated fate, destiny, whatever the hell they felt like calling it these days. It made his life...less.

He heard a knock on the bookcase he was leaning on, and looked up to see emerald eyes sparkle at him kindly. "Troubled, sensei? You weren't embarrassed, were you?"

It was the first time in his life that Kakashi had ever felt the urge to stick his tongue out at Sakura, or anyone, really. In addition to his master self-esteem, he also considered how awkward it would look to stick his tongue out while wearing a mask, like some creepy worm writhing under the cloth on his mouth or something. So instead, he looked away at the shelves, as if fully absorbed in _A History of Farm Tools as Weapons in Konohagakure no Sato, Volume Three_. "Did you say something, Sakura?"

She bent down to his level and smiled. "You two are really clueless. Everyone else in the village practically knows Naruto likes you. Why won't you just do something?"

"Remind me who everyone is, again?"

"Well, the Rookie Nine, pretty much, and probably some other people."

He turned his gaze over to her, giving her a look that was not quite cold, but one without heat. "Have you ever stopped to think about whether or not_ I l_ike him?"

She scoffed and shifted into a more comfortable sitting position, then pulled out a random book, flipping the pages absently. "Whatever happened wouldn't have happened if you didn't feel that way about him. I know you better than you think, sensei."

"It's more complicated than you think," he grumbled.

They heard a yelp from the other side of the archives; the thuds and scuffles of various works followed soon after. Sakura snickered and they both shook their heads.

"That should take him a while to clean up," the kunoichi said with a smile. "Which means I have some time to ask you a question."

"Which would be…?"

"Do you believe in past lives?" Her eyes turned a shade darker, the evening light in the room playing off at different angles from before.

Kakashi couldn't help but feel a little surprised, and a little irritated; that was the question _he_ wanted to ask. He never thought about answering it himself. Looking up at the ceiling (which was unremarkable, but an improvement from facing that steely expression to his left), he sighed. "Maa, what is there to believe in? I have seen death. There is an afterlife, surely. That should be the end. Even in death, however much you look back, you cannot take those steps again; the current will pull you forward, always."

She nudged her foot into his leg. "What happens after the afterlife? What if there are multiple currents?"

"Those two questions are completely incompatible," he said and pointed his index finger at her.

She pulled a face. "I'm just saying. It wouldn't kill you to be a little more flexible." Sakura stood up and stretched out her arms, looking down at her teacher over her nose. He didn't know how exactly he should interpret the look she gave him, so he looked up at the shelves, regaining interest in _The History of Farm Tools as Weapons in Konohagakure no Sato_. She sniffed, something that could have been a snort had it been more pronounced, and walked off, calling Naruto softly. As she left, he stood up and continued to walk down towards the history section. He grazed through the scrolls until he found the one he picked up the previous time. Scanning the calligraphy quickly, he identified the pieces he needed.

"Uh, Kakashi…sensei?" The jounin did not miss the slow addition of the honorific. He looked over his shoulder to find Naruto leaning against a bookcase, his blond hair catching the light. Briefly he imagined just pulling Naruto away and pushing him down onto a nearby table, visualized just how his tongue would flick over each whisker mark.

He coughed and turned back to the scroll. "Yes, Naruto…kun?"

"Have you, uh, found anything yet?" A shuffle of feet, a quick accidental tap against the bookcases.

Kakashi scanned the characters, finding the names he needed much sooner than he had hoped. "The names that ring a bell… are…"

"You're afraid you're going to do it again, aren't you?"

He tensed his shoulders, and then tensed his eyebrows, mad that his shoulders tensed in the first place. "I don't know what you mean, Naruto." Screw it, it took too much work to keep that '–kun' on.

"I'm here. Just say it. Sakura's nearby. Besides…we need to figure out what's going on. It's not a big deal anyway…don't they usually go around killing people in the stories, when they're possessed or whatever? All you do is grope me, no big deal!"

Kakashi wasn't sure of whether or not he imagined the giggle that followed Naruto's words. He blinked, having already comprehended the absurdity of that statement, but still at a loss as to how he should respond.

"Damn it, just say something, Kakashi!"

A knocking on a bookshelf broke their tension. They both looked over to see Sakura staring at them, a flurry of emotions crossing her face, mostly those of amusement. Kakashi blanched.

"Ne," she said, her voice soft and a knowing smirk on her face, "why don't you say something, sensei?"

He swallowed, let his eyes flicker over the names again. "Well, Ishin no Kodomo no Ryuji is a start. He's apparently the progenitor of the Uchiha clan."

"So, he's Sasuke's great-great-great-great-great-super-great grandpa?" Naruto asked as he sat on the table, his legs crooked at the knee.

Sakura nodded as she pulled her hair into a ponytail and looked up at the shelves. "What else does it say?"

"There was a war between the Ishin – the Uchiha clan – and two groups named Ankoku no Ookami and Eien no Bushi."

"Ankoku…" The blond brought up a hand to his chin, thoughts flying through his mind. "Wait. You said that the other day! When you were all weird! Wolves of Darkness!"

Sakura pulled down a scroll, reading the title on the outside, then shook her head and put it back. "So they're all clans from pre-country times. We have so little history on it. Fire Country may be the most powerful, but we're not as old as other countries."

"But this revolves around the Clan Wars, leading to country formations," the jounin pointed out. "We should have something on that."

The kunoichi sighed and crossed her arms. "I don't know. The texts will just give us generic reasons for the war, territory quarrels and all. We want to know more about the _people_. "

Naruto raised his hand, and Kakashi nearly laughed at how juvenile the movement was. That was so…Naruto. Even at this handsome age of seventeen, he still resorted to so essential, so clear.

"Naruto. You can just open your mouth and use your vocal cords," Sakura said, a teasing sneer on her face.

He shrugged. "I mean, I was talking to the Sand siblings earlier, when I was still in the hospital. They said that Akira no Eien sounded familiar. Gaara said they'd do some research and stuff, send it over if they got anything."

Sakura 'hmmed'. "What would Sand have on Konoha history? Then again, I guess it's pre-nation, so it's a possibility. We could just wait for news on them. But..." Her eyes flashed, like sunlight in the forest, and a horrifying expression overtook her face. Kakashi felt a definite level of discomfort at that look of elation, near epiphany. He glanced over at the younger man, who took a step back into the table against which he had been leaning on.

"Sakura-chan? What are you thinking?"

She giggled. "I think it's pretty late. I'm going to go now. Let's continue this later." She turned around and began to walk away, prompting the other two to make choked noises of surprise, some attempt to say something and make her stay, if they hadn't been so shocked. Yet she paused for them, turned back for a moment. "You might want to think about the most beneficial way to get that information in the meantime, ne?" She smiled at them, cryptic and so adult-like (damn kunoichi, Kakashi thought darkly) before walking off.

Kakashi didn't miss her insinuations; he just hoped to heavens above that Naruto _did_. Sure enough, when he looked over, Naruto had a wholly confused look on his face, although it was not the completely oblivious sort– rather, he looked like he was unsure of what to do.

Before the silence could pervade the situation, he decided to take matters into his own hands. "Ne, she's right. It is rather late. You and I should probably just go home. Since you're clear to go, I think they will probably put you on a team soon. We can continue training until then. I'll see you tomorrow morning, Naruto-kun."

He began to move away.

"You're running away, aren't you." It was more of a statement than an accusation or a question.

He shrugged. "Not away. And I'm not running."

"Why?" The voice sounded soft, fragile, like the ancient scroll paper. He felt fingers just ghosting his sleeve, as if they wished to touch upon his own. He couldn't reach out, he shouldn't.

"Neither of us know what we're doing. We're just walking around in the dark."

"Can't we at least do that together? Isn't that a little smarter than doing it alone? Yeah, I know I sound fucking desperate, like a fucking girl or whatever, but sometimes girls know better anyway and you shouldn't toy around with me, damn it!"

"I know." He paused, let it sink in. He didn't have to turn around to know how confused those blue eyes looked, turbulent as a raging sea. "I don't want to toy with anything. That's why I'm doing this, Naruto. So just leave it."

Once more, he started to walk. This time he found himself shoved up against a bookshelf that heaved from the impact, wobbling back and forth. Although he felt warm hands pressed against his chest, scrunching up his shirt, and he knew that Naruto's nose was hardly a hair away from his, all he could see were blue eyes, those stormy blue eyes, that glared at him with a fire that should not have existed within something the color of water, the color of the sky. But it was there, hot and angry, and _god_, why did he have the urge to just jump into it all, this raging and fiery tempest?

Naruto grit his teeth, with his blond brows knit tight together, and whispered, almost snarled. "Fuck if I'm going to obey that."

Then he walked off. Kakashi felt a bitter sort of gasp escape him and he realized that Naruto was beating him to the punch. Now Kakashi couldn't run away from all this; Naruto was doing it, with the full intention of coming back.

**o-x-o-x-o**

The tree fell with a sonorous thud. Any nearby animals bolted, except for an unfortunate buck, which collapsed as its head separated from its body.

Karin frowned. "Was that necessary, Suigetsu?"

The white-haired male rolled his eyes and then stared at her. "I don't need this right now, Karin," he said as he picked up his dagger and and threw it at the fallen tree. It hit the target and sunk all the way down, up to the hilt. "How could we have wasted so much time?"

"That's assuming the switch occurred two years ago. Chances are it was just a few months," she replied, pushing up her glasses, her eyes darting over to catch a glimpse of their leader. "We haven't lost that much time. The others can't say much either, they've been trying to trail Bee all this time as well. He's something above their level too. He drives them crazy."

"So what do we do?" Suigetsu asked, nudging the buck's head with his toe. It almost seemed as if he contemplated stepping on the thing, stomping on it to bits, but the dark presence that loomed over him kept his urges at bay. "Are we going to kill that son of a bitch?"

"No." Suigetsu immediately removed himself from the severed head at the sound of Sasuke's voice. Karin and Jugo tensed up, their eyes immediately shifting to him. His voice seemed to still the rustling of the leaves. "A waste of time. The others will hunt him down well enough. We cannot let them get to the new one."

Jugo, quiet this whole time, finally spoke up, a quavering in his tone as he asked, "But...are we going to hunt the new one down?"

The Uchiha nodded his head, though it was hardly perceptible. He stood up and began to walk in the direction of the rising moon.

"But–" Jugo blurted, "how will we find the new host?"

"Tell him if you want." He threw behind him, not sparing a glance back.

Karin shot a look at Suigetsu, who shook his head and began to follow Sasuke. Jugo gently put his hand on the kunoichi's shoulder, his eyes searching.

"Jugo. I don't want to make you choose between yourself and your memories of Kimimaro. So...just follow along. You'll find out in a few days anyway."

She began to move, biting her lip as they moved towards the east. Supposing they moved along the coasts and cut through some insignificant towns, it would be a week's worth of travel to Lightning Country. Karin never prayed to anyone, but every now and then she hoped...and this time, she hoped they would never find what they were looking for.

Because they were looking for an infant, and she had no idea what Sasuke planned to do once they found it.

The buck's large eyes peered at her as she passed, the moonlight shining from its dark depths. She looked away and kept her gaze on Sasuke's back, who never looked back, not once.

**o-x-o-x-o**

Ay, sorry for the delay. I haven't had a chance to write at all since school started. I'll do my best to keep the monthly updates, but it's sadly not a guarantee. Damn you, physics! As always, thank you for all the comments, alerts, favorites, etc.

Ay, yes, I'm playing around with yet another cliché trope. I hope it turns out well. Make some predictions for Taka, won't you? Sasuke's like a ticking time bomb, I just have no idea what he's doing.

Reviews are most appreciated!

Ja ne,

Vi


	13. Author's Note

Hi guys.

I'll be honest. November and December was just a lot of slacking off. I was swamped with studying for finals and all that so I just didn't have time to write.

Now it's January, and I had been determined to continue and work on it each day, get back to my usual schedule.

But things have come up, and that demon I had fought off for a good year, that fucker called depression is back. I'm still invested in finishing this story. I still have ideas and plans for Kakashi, Naruto, and everyone else in Confluence. I'm not giving up.

I just need some time away.

I just wanted to let you guys know. This isn't an excuse, just some background information. On days where I don't feel like crying and I actually have some energy, I'll try to chip away at the next installment. I won't abandon it. I've put too much effort into this to just let it go. Plus writing is one of my few de-stressors.

There are just some days when de-stressors become stressors though, so we'll see how it goes.

In the meantime, I hope all of you are enjoying the KakaNaru fandom. Read my other works, read permetaform's stuff, or fieldofsnow, or maudlin the mad, or all of those geniuses that write this ship.

I'll be back, I promise.

Ja ne,

Vi


	14. Dispersed and Dispatched

Confluence

By Violet Garnets

**Chapter Thirteen: Dispersed and Dispatched**

**o-x-o-x-o**

Kakashi sat cross-legged on the ground, wishing he could do something other than what he did at the present moment, which was to carefully monitor Naruto as he went through his kyudo practice.

Although Naruto had indeed threatened him the other day in the library (Kakashi decided on calling it a threat, because that's what that unbearable heat felt like), the blond had not taken any extra steps towards seduction. It seemed clear to the both of them that Naruto would never be any sort of seducer in the traditional sense, and the younger man had seemingly decided to save himself some embarrassment.

Not that the boy _wasn't_ doing any seducing, quite the contrary, and this led to the root of Kakashi's problems.

Naruto had decided to do without a shirt today as he practiced his archery, citing the unusual late summer heat as 'annoying as Sai with a new self-help book'. The jounin believed it; he was bothered by the sweltering temperature as well, although he unfortunately had an additional source of heat on top of it. He had never really ogled at any one person before. He just never had any interest to invest so much attention in someone. Just giving a woman (or man) a simple once-over after clear eye contact typically did the trick: wham, bam, thank you ma'am (or sir).

He had never done _this_ before. His eyes would trail over to the blond before he knew it, and as soon as he felt the boy turning his head to look over at him, Kakashi would dart his gaze elsewhere, chastising himself and promising not to do it again. Yet, without fail, his gaze would once more be on that pliant body and the deep red heat that flushed his cheeks would be a distant memory, fade out to a softer warmth that made him think of better days.

Naruto didn't look over too often though, which was fortunate. His focus remained on his training and he methodically went through the motions of target practice, although Kakashi could tell that the younger man was thoroughly immersed in his work, as tedious as it was. His bright blue eyes took on a darker hue today, growing steadily darker as he became more and more intense about his training. Pretty soon the Jinchuuriki would switch to demon chakra training; Kakashi could tell by the closing distance between those furrowed brows and the way his feet began to shift apart to a more solid stance.

Now that the blond did not particularly need to focus on wrestling the chakra away from the Kyuubi, molding and controlling the power took precedent. Here was where Kakashi actually felt useful. For the past two days, they had been experimenting with the power output Naruto could handle, which, at the moment, equated to the stretch of Naruto's own chakra reserves over his body. For the time being, just the hands would do. However, perhaps in the long run, having the chakra protecting more or other parts of the body would be advantageous. A full-body armor of sorts, although the hellish power would also double as a weapon. They would have to take it in baby steps. Then again, with Naruto's unpredictability, perhaps that would be sooner than expected.

At present Naruto was working on fine-tuning his kyudo and synchronizing his skill with the new opportunities the freed supply of Kyuubi chakra. They had discovered that too much demon chakra simply disintegrated the arrows before they even got anywhere near their target, but clearly Naruto needed to up the strength of his weapons if he had new power to go behind it. Of course, Naruto always had difficulty maintaining a balance in the middle, being a person more suited towards extremes.

But after some cooling off and meditation with the standard kyudo, Naruto looked ready to try again with the demon chakra. He looked over at Kakashi and grinned. "Here I go!" he shouted.

Kakashi couldn't help but shake his head and smile a little. "Don't waste anymore time, Naruto."

His grin just widened for a brief moment before he returned to a more serious expression. In seconds the arrow was flying through the air and Kakashi heard it make a rather sharp sound as it left Naruto's bow. The target, a large wooden target, stood a respectably far distance away, about twenty meters or so. The arrow looked normal for the most part, glowing with a faint demon chakra but nothing like the intensity of previous sessions. It hit the target like a normal arrow, a whizzing sound in the air as it vibrated into stillness.

Naruto whooped triumphantly. Kakashi had to admit that he felt rather confused, and a little disappointed, until he saw what came next. The entire target glowed brightly and then simply disintegrated into a mound of ash.

"Impressive. It's much more subtle and intimidating. Maa, well, I guess that's that," Kakashi said with a little smile. "Tomorrow we should work on utilizing that chakra in other ways as well. I don't really know how it'll react with your Sage mode and I am hesitant on testing out the waters."

"I can just ask Fukasaku first, I think."

"This is a pretty singular situation, Naruto. I don't know anyone who would have experience with mixing demon chakra with natural chakra. On paper, it's doomed from the start."

"He probably knows more than anyone else though."

"Well, when you have time, then." Kakashi stretched his arms and sighed. "Should we get to sparring? Your taijutsu always needs work, Naruto." In reality, Naruto probably didn't need to work on taijutsu that much, but the boy was hesitant about genjutsu and Kakashi didn't particularly feel the need to push it too much. Between the other available options, Naruto always grumbled about taijutsu practice, so it was good to get him to stop his complaining on the matter.

The blonde started muttering about something or other, but nevertheless put away his archery as he approached Kakashi. "Hey, Kakashi? Who was your first...girlfriend? Or boyfriend? Or whatever?"

"Someone named Mr. Ukki."

"Oh..." and for a moment his face honestly, truly fell. Kakashi felt a little guilty, but not too much as the realization hit the boy. "Wait a minute, that's that damn plant I gave you!"

The jounin quirked a little smile. Teasing the boy never got old. "Well, I take care of Mr. Ukki, we live together, and we never fight. He's been sleeping next to me for years. And he's even got kids now. I've never done that with anyone else, so..."

Naruto frowned and crossed his arms over his bare, tanned chest and it took quite a lot of willpower on Kakashi's part not to change his expression. "No, really. Who was your first...significant other?"

"Why are you asking, Naruto? It's not like that kind of information is anything useful to you."

"Can't I just ask? We've known each other for five years now. I think I'm entitled to know."

"I hate small talk, Naruto." He looked down and started readjusting his gloves. "Let's just get to sparring."

"Can you just stop avoiding everything?" The younger man's blond brows were knit together closely. "I'm asking you a simple question, because I want to know more about you. No ulterior motives."

Kakashi sighed, ignored the skipping in his heart at Naruto's words. "Somehow I doubt that."

"Alright, how about this. We'll make it productive small talk. We spar. If I win, you answer ten questions. I get my training done, I get to kick your ass,_ and _I get some answers. It's a win-win-win situation." He grinned as he laced his fingers and stretched his arms out in front of him, the chakra already flaring within him.

The older man, despite himself, took to the blatant show of arrogance in front of him, smiling slightly. "I don't think that's how this is going to go down."

"Well, let's go!" With that, Naruto launched himself at his opponent with a lightning-quick punch. An effortless laugh escaped them and rose into the air. Kakashi dodged the punch, but only at the last second. Naruto had certainly picked up his speed, but that wouldn't be enough to take the Sharingan no Kakashi down, not even a notch. He sidestepped the boy and attempted a jab at his back. It a was successful contact, but the jounin found his elbow immersed in a cloud of smoke. A bunshin? When did he...?

He felt a lethal force aimed for his own back just before he sunk into the ground. As he caught his breath for a brief moment and moved closer to the river, he smiled. Years of honed instinct gave him the edge over Naruto, though he knew he was up against Konoha's Number One Most Unpredictable Ninja. Considering Naruto's diehard motivation to learn more about Kakashi, the jounin wouldn't be able to let his guard down. However, it would take more than agility to one up the son of Konoha's White Fang.

When he came up again, he heard Naruto shout, "–cheating! We're supposed to be sparring!"

"Well, maybe you shouldn't be using your bunshin then," he quipped, looking at his companion from a good distance away.

Naruto shrugged. "I forgot. Instinct. Sorry."

The jounin shook his head. "Well, that'll be good for real missions. But you can't accuse me of cheating if you're going to do that."

"Fine. Taijutsu only!" The blonde grumbled, but shifted quickly to a sprint towards Kakashi, lunging with a punch once.

Kakashi ducked the punch into a crouch and attempted a sweeping kick to knock his opponent over, but Naruto jumped back into a more defensive position. The taller, broader man moved even farther into defensive move, pushing off his arms to land his feet solidly in Naruto's abdomen. The boy groaned and crumpled a little, but held his ground as Kakashi used the momentum to flip back off.

As Kakashi took a step forward to continue, he heard Sakura's voice coming from their right.

"Naruto! Kakashi-sensei!"

Naruto crossed his arms, pouting a little. "This happens a lot, doesn't it."

Kakashi 'hmmed'. For the time being, his privacy was saved.

The young woman was standing a good distance away, her hands cupped around her mouth. "Tsunade needs to see you both! Big news! I'm off to get Sai and Yamato-taichou!" With that, she dashed away. Kakashi and Naruto shared a curious look. Naruto shrugged before rushing off to Hokage Tower. The jounin followed.

Tsunade was watching the horizon when they arrived. They both had noticed the stillness in the room upon entering, and Naruto had choked back the shouting entrance he had planned.

"We'll wait for Sakura and the other two," the Hokage had said simply. They obeyed and stood in silence.

It didn't take long for the three to join them. Sai and Yamato gave curt bows toward the Hokage, and she nodded her acknowledgment.

"Baachan," Naruto finally spoke up. His voice rasped. "What's going on?"

She shook her head. "There's no bad news. Thus far."

"You're just trying to make a decision, right, sensei?" Sakura offered, to which her instructor agreed.

"Yes. I have two missions and I need all of you, give or take a few others. The matter is splitting you up." She groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose. "We have a new Hachibi."

Amidst the "What?"s from Sakura and Naruto, Kakashi felt a lurching in his stomach. So that's what happened to Killer Bee... He glanced over at Yamato, who met his eyes with an even gaze.

Tsunade continued. "Killer Bee performed a sealing ritual to pass the Hachibi from himself to a young child. Since he had formed a strong bond with the Eight Tails, he managed to survive, somehow. But he's been in a coma for the last few months or so. Kumo has kept this quiet, not to hide anything from us – they knew how much you respected him, Naruto – but Sasuke's team had been on the chase for so long, they couldn't afford to leak out that information.

"However, they couldn't keep it a secret for long. It seems like Akatsuki has gained this information and of course they have dispatched individuals to retrieve the host. Kumo has asked for our help, seeing as we are the closest hidden village and we've developed quite the reputation for being the quickest to respond in missions. They're also worried about the seal. Bee was exceptionally talented and what he sealed the demon with is stronger than his own Iron Armour seal, but they are concerned nonetheless."

"Why do you need to split us up though?" Kakashi asked. The answer was pretty obvious, but he wanted some more details.

"I can explain this bit, Tsunade-sensei," Sakura said. She pulled out a scroll from her pack. "The Sand siblings sent a courier with information. About Eien no Akira."

Kakashi and Naruto both leaned towards her subconsciously, their eyes alight. Sai and Yamato watched on with reserved curiosity.

"All they had to share was that more information could be gained from a family known as the Hei. They're an old clan, traditionally nomadic, but one branch of the family guards a catacomb reputed for recalling past lives. The Hei are an incredibly reclusive group and have only shared the knowledge of the catacomb to Suna, and they gave Gaara permission to pass this on to us. The fact that Konoha is even looking into pre-clan history intrigues them, I guess.

"The Hei live near a mountain pass just outside Kusagakure, in Bamboo Country (1). I believe that – excuse me, sensei, for the assumption – the plan is to send one of you to see the Hei and this catacomb. The memories we gain could be vital to protecting our future."

"So, baachan, how are you going to split us up?" Naruto asked. "Someone's bound to follow us. We don't want them to find out about the new jinchuuriki over everything, right?"

Tsunade's clasped fingers squeezed together and she closed her eyes, sighing. "Either way, these are huge risks. You're not wrong in saying that protecting the new Hachibi takes priority."

"_I'm_ going to Bamboo Country, right? I mean, since I don't know shit at the moment, I'd have the most to gain from it. And you'll send Kakashi to go find the kid."

Kakashi started. His eyes flashed over at Naruto to see a stony, impenetrable expression. Somehow he didn't expect to be separated from Naruto for this. He didn't _want_ to be apart from him, he realized grudgingly. But it was logical, being one of Konoha's most elite ninja. It would only be for a little while. They would come back. Besides, he was trying to push Naruto away, wasn't he?

And even through all of these words, a part of him still fell a little upset at the thought of going on his own.

"Sensei, if I could disagree with Naruto..."

All eyes turned to Sakura. Her bamboo green eyes had darkened, as if thunderous clouds shadowed them. "Kumogakure has military prestige unmatched by any of the other hidden villages, excepting Iwagakure. Even with the loss of Killer Bee, they still remain a force to be reckoned with. I think we can trust their power to protect their own. I would like to volunteer myself, with a few others of your selection, to reach the new host."

Naruto interrupted, glaring at her with the same stony look. "You want to meet up with Sasuke, don't you." It was a statement more than a question.

Unflinching, Sakura shook her head. "Although Kumogakure is one of the safest places for the child, they are resting on the hope that moving the baby is too high a risk and they can attack immediately. I am sure they are also prepared to see that the jinchuuriki _has_ been moved, but they have a better chance starting with Kumo than choosing a village at random. We'd be more than capable of transporting it to another place."

"Where would this other place be, exactly?" Tsunade asked, her head tilted and mouth smirking in a rather impressed manner.

"In the end, the child needs to be at Sand, but there's no way that can be completed safely in one trip. But with Terumi-san as Mizukage, I'm sure we'd be well-received there."

If they found out that Konoha was heading operations, they would expect that the jinchuuriki would come back to Konoha, so a straight return was unlikely. The next closest hidden village after Konoha was Kirigakure. Any ties the Hidden Mist Village had to Akatsuki had been rooted out in the past few years, and that Kakashi knew that from personal experience. They would be least expected there. If Sasuke and his team were in pursuit of the child, they would most likely guess at Konoha anyway before Kiri, considering the political histories.

Kakashi couldn't help but feel thoroughly proud and impressed at the pink-haired kunoichi who stood before him, her green eyes dark as a jounin vest. He often forgot the scale of her intelligence. Of course, in competition with Shikamaru she wasn't quite at his level, but she had been assigned to Team Seven for her high marks in the Academy and her comprehensive knowledge of poisons, medicinal herbs, and battle strategies were always welcomed.

His first choice for Hokage would always be Naruto, but Sakura proved herself to be quite the formidable strategist, medic, and fighter. He knew she would be a jounin in no time. The young woman had certainly taken on many of her teacher's strong suits, even radiating the same solidarity Tsunade provided to the village when managing the hospital. She could certainly succeed Naruto as Hokage, or even _precede_ him. Perhaps she was even a little more prepared for the task, if she could overcome the crutch of one Uchiha Sasuke.

Hell, all the remaining members of Team Seven still needed to overcome it.

While the plan seemed sound enough to Kakashi, he had a feeling that he would believe almost anything at this point just to figure out his situation with Naruto at that mountain pass. If he had reached this point of desperation, maybe his ability to complete the mission would be compromised... No; he had more focus than this. Were he to go off in search of the new Hachibi host, he would certainly have the mentality to succeed. He shouldn't over-think this.

Yamato added, "Truthfully speaking, Iwa is a little less expected than Kiri, considering our tense relations."

"Indeed," Tsunade agreed. "But I worry about Onoki and the state of that village in general. Not to mention, a small child can only be on the road for so long. If this is the plan, I'd like to send Shikamaru and his team with you, Sakura. Sai, are you fine with this? Your teammate just volunteered you, but I haven't heard anything from you yet."

Sai nodded. "No need to say anything, Godaime-sama."

The Hokage smirked a little before turning her attention to the others. "Kakashi, Yamato, and Naruto, you'll be sent off to Kusa. I think the three of you will be sufficient. Think of it as a simple recon mission."

Yamato and Kakashi gave their assent. But out of the corner of his eye, the jounin noticed that his teammate was still strangely quiet. His expression was still serious, his eyes set on the ground. He was not the only one to notice this.

Sakura tilted her head and smiled tenderly. "Hey, baka. Listen to me. I won't confront Sasuke. Not without you, Naruto."

The chuunin's face jerked upwards and his blue eyes widened in surprise for a brief moment. Then they flooded with quiet relief as he smiled at her.

She returned his smile. "And, maybe, once your team is finished, we can all meet in Whirlpool Country."

The surprise came back to his face. It was now dusk, almost fully nighttime. Shizune had come in for a moment during the conversation to turn on the lights, and Naruto's eyes, huge and wobbly, caught all the light there was. To be honest, he reminded Kakashi a little of an infant learning that he could stand on his own two feet for the first time.

Sakura pressed forward and stepped toward her companion. Her voice was soft as she said, "We can visit the place your mother's family once called home."

Naruto stared at her for a handful of seconds. Tears brimmed his blue eyes, blurred like the surface of a rippling lake, and he bit his lip as she gathered him in her arms. The young man tried to say something, but it only came out as a muffled string of noises as he buried his head into her shoulder. They all knew what he was trying to say though.

Sai opened his mouth, but Yamato quickly stifled it with his hand. Tsunade's face gave way to a smile as she propped her head on her hand, and she had a gentle expression Kakashi had not seen on her in a very long time.

Kakashi couldn't help but swell with pride at the sight. He may not have been the most dynamic and involved teacher, but he knew that he couldn't have messed up too badly. Tomorrow would bring dark omens and so would the day after, and the day after that... but for now, the fire of Konoha lived on.

**-o-o-o-**

(1) Bamboo Country/ Take no Kuni – I made Bamboo Country up. Kusagakure does exist in canon, but the country is never stated. I felt as if Bamboo fits in with Kishimoto-sensei's method of naming countries. I hope I didn't confuse it with anything else.

Ah, thank you, sincerely, to everyone that sent me a kind message or left a review. Even when I was teetering over the edge, from moderate to severe depression, reading the kind words you had to share reminded me to pull back. I've been very blessed to never have to deal with insensitive flames or trolling on the internet, and I'm so glad that I have the best readers ever :)

My moods fluctuated for a while, and when I finally felt stable, I still had schoolwork to deal with! However, over the summer I plan on working pretty consistently on this, so hopefully we'll get about three more chapters over the course of three or four months. Over the course of a particularly difficult year, I've learned how to just sit down and churn out a few pages, so I'll put that to good use this summer. (The majority of this chapter I wrote in two days. It took another few weeks to fine-tune, and I'm still not particularly pleased with the final result, but, eh.)

I apologize for the quality of any of this; it will take me a while to get back into the feel of Naruto. This one was pretty plot-heavy, but I'll try to balance things out more in the future. They're on the road next chapter, which lends itself to more intimate moments, physically and emotionally. Now that the group is split up, we'll also have three different threads to follow: Naruto and Kakashi, Sakura and the team, and Sasuke and Taka.

Thank you once again. I adore you all.

Ja ne,

Vi


	15. Onward

Confluence

By Violet Garnets

**Chapter Fourteen: Onward**

**o-x-o-x-o**

"Soon, it'll be Naruto's birthday," Kakashi said out loud as he stood in front of the memorial and looked around. Not particularly soon, but soon enough.

It was the mid-September, approaching its end and the slowly beginning to breach the threshold of October. Autumn had not yet touched on all of Konohagakure, but stealthy extended its reach across the village. It seeped into each particle in the air, and slowly the leaves played tag with one another, each tagged leaf turning a beautiful golden hue. In the almost-dawn light, however, the leaves seemed more like a muted yellow. Kakashi briefly considered if Naruto's hair looked like that color in the mornings. It made him smile, perhaps more rueful than anything else.

"Obito, what am I doing? I don't think I'm sane. Not that I've ever been really sane, but these dreams and these feelings...I can't tell what's real or what's mine or what I should believe. And if Naruto or Sakura were having these problems, I would have quick words, but somehow everything falls apart when it come to myself.

Naruto cares for me. Knowing him, knowing his sincerity and strength, I know that he cares for me just as much as everyone else in his life. I shouldn't doubt that. But if he's thinking about love, or if I'm..."

Even that, the jounin could not muster the courage to say out loud. It was right there, in his head, and he acknowledged it completely. But somehow, it seemed rather childish to admit this to Obito.

"You would be laughing your ass off at me right now, wouldn't you? Seeing me so flustered, anything but cool. Then again, you had always known how much of a fake sap I was. That's probably why you were pissed with me, eh?"

A few stray leaves brushed by his shoulder, as if to bid him farewell. Kakashi smiled. "Thanks, Obito."

The group was waiting for him at the gates. Everyone seemed to be accounted for, their eyes focused and bright as they all thought about the mission ahead. Sakura and Naruto held large rocks in their hands, presumable to throw at their tardy sensei, but even their expressions seemed distant, and their fingers only curled loosely around the rock. Kakashi quirked the edge of his lip; this would be difficult for both of them.

He sighed, closed his eyes, and as he opened them again, he pasted on a small smile. "Yo."

True to form, the two launched their rocks at him. He dodged Sakura's (the young woman had no limits, really) and let Naruto's graze his head. He winced to the point of exaggeration, and let out a steady stream of "itai-tai-tai-tai-tai!"

"YOU'RE LATE!"

"Maa, maa, a small snail needed a lift to the store so I stopped and helped it."

"Yeah, whatever," Sakura muttered. She clapped her hands together after scanning the group to make sure everyone was present and said, "Are we ready to go? Naruto and his team will head west, while my team moves northeast, yes? When we reach our locations, send a carrier bird back to Konoha."

"Will do!" Naruto said, flashing a thumbs up.

"Alright, let's go before Shikamaru falls asleep," Ino butted in. "We don't have any time to waste."

The pink-haired kunoichi nodded. "Let's move out. Good luck." With that, they split off.

Naruto, Kakashi, and Yamato had a smooth journey to Kusa, with few issues. They did pass through a village on the way and met a gang of bandits, but they were easily dealt with. It was a petty group, with no ties to larger organizations or plots, which was a nice change.

The rest of the trip proved unremarkable. Then again, after all of his missions gone awry with Team Seven, it took quite a lot of action for missions to become unexpectedly memorable.

Perhaps what surprised him a little was Naruto's silence on the majority of the travel. The blond moved quickly, but not so fast that he would tire himself out unnecessarily. What should have been a six day trip turned into a mere three days to the village.

By the end of the third day, they were only a half day's trip from the Hei residence, just outside the village walls. Yamato offered to build a warm wooden structure for them to sleep for the night. Naruto simply sat on a rock a short distance from the structure, his eyes focused upward, which left Yamato and Kakashi alone.

"Oi, Yamato."

"Yes, senpai?"

"I have a question for you-"

"About Naruto?"

Kakashi said nothing.

Yamato gave a low chuckle. "I figured as much, the way we're both looking at him lately. He's worrying you too."

"When you two were traveling together..." The older jounin started, his voice soft, "he must have been like this, sometimes."

The Mokuton user's brown eyes were thoughtful, carefully considering the years he had spent traveling with the young man. "He's never seemed very introspective, but...when you're growing up alone in the world, away from your home and dearest friends, I think that reflection is natural. Come to think of it, he actually spent a lot of time quietly, like that. Sometimes I couldn't help but imagine him as a small child, with that faraway expression of his."

They lapsed into a fragile quiet, permeated with the rustling of leaves and the faint sound of windchimes from the village. It made sense, Kakashi realized. As a young child, Naruto had no one to turn to: the adults that protected him had little time to play, and he had no other children to be his loud and rambunctious self with, so he must have had a lot of time alone. It was probably due to this that he had grown incredibly self-reliant since those early days, that he continued to be so demanding for attention. More than anyone, Naruto understood the capricious nature of people, of life. You could lose all of it at any second, through death, or perhaps simply because everyone changed their minds. No wonder he fought for it so hard.

"How lonely," Kakashi remarked. _So lonely I could kiss him for it._

Yamato made a noise of agreement, but added, "We're not so different, senpai. Weren't you the same?"

Then, like sudden rain, a shower of memories began to hit Kakashi one by one. A beautiful woman with long black hair spilling down her back, like a lovely ghost, watching him as he walked up a tree for the first time. The same woman standing at the door as he came home from the Ninja Academy every day, without fail. Her willowy voice when she laughed or told him, "That's it, Kacchin. Keep trying." The way his father used to look at her. How she suddenly just slipped out of his life, as if she had fallen into the river when he wasn't looking and simply...washed away.

When his mother died, he no longer had anyone to tell him not to worry about the other children, soon enough they'd see him for Hatake Kakashi and not the awe-inspiring prodigy of Konoha's White Fang. His father never did understand how frustrating it was, for a five year-old child, to have other kids either keep a physical distance out of fear, or wait on him hand and foot, another unpleasant distance altogether. Looking back he realized that not caring about others after his father's suicide not only dulled the vitriol directed at Sakumo's ineptitude and shame, but also erased the worries he had over connecting with others. It was just the more convenient option, to shut everything out.

Only when Obito died did he arise from his stupor...and begin to feel the agony of being alone once more.

Kakashi laughed, dry and with only a little humor in it. "I guess we are alike. Perhaps that's why he impresses me so much."

_Naruto never stopped trying._

The older jounin nodded his acknowledgment and Yamato left him alone on the porch. The sun had long dipped in the west, and he could vaguely make Naruto's outline in the light coming from inside the house. The temperature was dropping fast and the young blond looked like he was shivering a little, but made no move away from his place.

"Naruto...why me?"

He shook his head and went inside.

**o-x-o-x-o**

On the other side of Fire Country, the other party was roughly two days' distance from Kumo. Team Ten, Sai, and Sakura also had a fairly easy trip. Well, except for one slight delay. By the second day, Sai accidentally got married when they passed through a civilian village, but luckily they had _that_ annulled and scrammed before the poor bride and Sai reached the honeymoon chambers. Sakura spent much of her time mulling over the mission report when they returned to Konoha. What, exactly, was the proper phrasing for accidental marriage due to social ineptitude and poor timing anyway? And what would she say to Tsunade about the fact that the daughter of a prosperous samurai family was completely smitten with Sai?

Besides, it kept her mind off of other things. Focus was of the absolute essence for this mission, but Sakura seemed to have little of it for the time being. She sighed as she pulled her hair into a ponytail. There were no patients to work on, no injuries to heal, but perhaps she could go find some particular plants for poisons and remedies. Anything to regain her drive for this mission.

"Where are you off to?"

She jumped, then turned around with a sheepish grin to face Shikamaru and Sai. The paler of the two was looking over Shikamaru's shoulder with his typical mildly curious expression. Shikamaru held his poker face. His whole body seemed to slouch, Sakura noted.

She shrugged. "I've heard there are some plants around here that only bloom at sunset. The Hokage once told me they make lethal poisons if charred and mixed with the right herbs. Or a remedy if boiled into a tea."

"You also need to think," Sai said.

"You're distracted, leader," Shikamaru added.

Crossing her arms, she couldn't help a wry grin. "You two are like peas in a pod, aren't you?"

"We're similar. As if we came from the same source," Shikamaru said, predicting Sai's question. The paler boy closed his mouth. He then turned his attention back to the pink-haired girl. "Anyway, we'll walk with you."

Sakura giggled, halfheartedly trying to hide it behind her hands. They really were alike and honestly, it was a wonder they hadn't teamed up earlier. Actually, scratch that. On the same team, the two of them could be quite terrifying, troublemakers not because they _wanted_ to make trouble, but because_ it was logical _to make trouble.

She began to walk deeper into the forest, followed by the boys. Only the occasional rustle of a forest animal dominated the first part of the walk. None of them seemed to mind. Sakura was rather grateful. As blunt as they both could be, they also understood the importance of waiting.

They reached the river's edge. Fortunately for her, she didn't have to walk long before she came upon a crop of dark red flowers drifting on the edge of the water. Brushing a bit of hair behind her ear, she pulled out her tanto and bent down. For a moment, she admired the flowers in the orange light of the falling sun. Orange...like Naruto's old outfits, like the spirals on his current one, like Kakashi's stupid porn he called literature...

"You're getting distracted again."

For the second time in about half an hour, the Shadow user had made her jump. An annoyed expression crossed her face as she glared at the two of them.

Sai's face seemed exceptionally pale against the light. A smile flashed across his mouth for a split second before he said, "You're thinking of our teammates."

Sakura nodded once, slowly, feeling rather warm at the fact that he had said "_our_ teammates". Indeed, he really was part of their team now. She couldn't imagine him just disappearing from their lives now.

"But they're not here. And we've got a mission."

There it was. His trademark bluntness. A sharp thrill ran up the hairs on her neck. "I know that," she hissed, narrowing her eyes. Then she looked away, just about to touch a flower.

Shikamaru's voice made her pause. "Just know that _we're_ here though. Sai and I can figure things out while you pull yourself together."

Her eyes widened. Huh. It certainly wasn't something she had ever expected to hear from him, something so... well, touchy-feely. "Thank you," she said softly, meaning it. She couldn't help but tease him a little though. "You're on your way to a fine confession for Temari."

He coughed. Sakura looked up at Sai, whose head was tilted to the side, figuring out what she meant. Shikamaru was looking away, still coughing. Snickering to herself, she grabbed the flower by the base of the petals and cut it off.

_She watched the crowd below her, a sonorous cheer riding the crest of rising arms. Her face expressionless under her veil, she nodded her acknowledgment to them. This dark red, transparent, _absurd_ veil, meant to protect her porcelain face, made the warm air around her stifling. She swallowed hard. Her fists clenched. _

"_New nations, a new peace. After years of war between those clans... it ends, just like that," a gruff voice beside her said, clearly tinged with satisfaction._

"_Yes. A god exhales and changes the directions of the winds without a single thought." She turned to face him and her eyes flickered open. "We must be wary of the next turning of the winds."_

_He smiled at her. "What a wise and strong daughter I have. A shame you were not born a man, to lead this new nation once I'm gone."_

_Inhaling deeply, she bowed to him, saying nothing. Her insides, however, roiled. _

_The world would one day see her triumph, as a woman. No daimyo, not even her father, would stop her. This she swore on her blood._

Sakura dropped the flower but, once she came to, caught it before it touched the water. _What on earth?_

"You okay there, leader? Zoned out for a minute."

She shook her head. "No, no. I'm fine. Just distracted again." Quickly she swiped through several other stems and shoved the plants in a bag. She stood up hurriedly. "It's getting dark. Let's get back to camp." Without looking back, she began to walk away. She could feel two sets of dark eyes boring into her back and she couldn't help but pick up her pace.

Sakura certainly had new things to keep her mind off of the mission and her team.

**o-x-o-x-o**

Gamakichi had just disappeared after receiving the blond's request when Naruto felt a soft weight fall over his back. The sleeves of a jacket hung from his shoulders and he let the tips of his fingers graze the dark blue material. Waterproof. Bendy. Not exactly great for warmth but his temperature started rising anyway. His heart raced as well, but he wasn't sure if that had anything to do with the jacket.

"Up to anything?"

Naruto shrugged. He pulled the jacket by the sleeves before it slipped off. "Just thinking. Asked Gamakichi if he could see if anyone knows how demon and sage chakra interact."

"Poorly, I'm sure."

"Then it'll be more of a challenge."

Kakashi chuckled. Naruto wouldn't ever be the first to admit it, but he would always be the first to recognize how _nice_ Kakashi's laugh sounded. Low, short, and somehow hesitant, a "maybe" of a laugh. But one that was honest all the same, much more sincere and much more rare than many of the Copy-nin's eye-smiles.

"I'm doing okay, you know," Naruto said as he moved over on his rock and patted the open space.

Kakashi sat down next to him. The warmth passing between their arms frustrated the blond. He wanted to press closer, right up against him. "I _do_ know. You took me by surprise at first, but you do your good bit of planning and thinking as well. You're more worried about Sakura than our own mission though, aren't you."

He nodded slowly. Kakashi was always on point about everything. "Besides Baachan, she's the strongest woman I know, but..."

"It's not her, it's Sasuke."

"He'll kill her in half a breath if he has the chance, that bastard." And unexpectedly, his voice cracked. He flushed and clenched his fist. That _asshole_, after everything she had done for him, even if she loved him more than he had ever seen someone love another, even–

Kakashi's hand was on his fist. "Open up." The man's voice ghosted over his ear, warm in this cold night air, and Naruto realized that Kakashi had had his mask down this entire time, that he still had not summoned up the courage to look the man directly.

So he obeyed and Kakashi clasped their fingers together. Naruto's breaths slowed. His heartbeat hitched. The cloak around him began to feel heavy.

"She'll be fine. She's got time on her side. We're ahead of schedule and we'll meet up sooner to help out. Isn't that why you've been rushing?"

He was moving before he registered the actions. He leaned against Kakashi's arm, head on the shoulder, his face tilted so his bright blue eyes could focus on the jounin's neck. He nuzzled the man's collarbone lightly with his nose. Naruto could feel his companion stiffen at the touch, but the muscles relaxed a little as soon as he said, "You're warm."

"You've been out in the cold alone." The silver-haired man opened up their hands and thrummed his fingers against Naruto's.

"I do that a lot. You do too."

Kakashi didn't have anything to say. Or if he did, he chose to keep it to himself. Naruto suspected it was the latter and wanted to wrestle the words out. He put his free hand on Kakashi's abdomen while his other hand clutched Kakashi's even tighter, and he lifted his head to kiss the man's jaw. It wasn't the most comfortable position, but Kakashi stiffened all over again, and Naruto relished the tautness underneath right hand.

"Why are you so afraid of me?" he whispered. And he'd gone through it before many times, the possible answers, from this one to another. He wanted to know, he wanted to change this, but what if Kakashi lied? No, he'd see through that bullshit. What if he told the truth? Naruto had mulled through every possibility and he still had no words prepared for any sort of response. His heart was racing faster than ever, so he just went in for a kiss on the neck, keeping it pressed there as he felt Kakashi make a "hmm", the vocal chords vibrating against his lips.

"Why wouldn't I be afraid of Konoha's Number One Most Unpredictable Ninja? "

Naruto pulled back, looking the older man right in his visible eye, trying but not really trying to discern Kakashi's thoughts. He straddled Kakashi's lap, knees on either side, the cloak falling to the ground. He raised his hands and pulled down the mask, to which there was no resistance. It wasn't resignation either, that kept Kakashi so passive, but perhaps a– well, Naruto couldn't say. "It's not because we're both men. That wouldn't matter to you. Everyone's seen you with Icha Icha, but no one's really called you a sexual deviant. You don't really care what others would say." He ran a hand through Kakashi's hair, full and unruly but each strand was so fine and pale in the moonlight, and there were things running through his head, telling him he _feltwantedneeded_ to be

Felt.

Wanted.

Needed.

By this man in front of him. Just him.

"You don't care what anyone _alive_ would say." The younger one loosened the hitai-ate and it slid over both of Kakashi's eyes. He only saw the lower half of the face: the nose, the lips, the chin, the scars. Naruto took a thumb to the scar along the chin, rubbing it softly. Kakashi's lips parted. An audible breath escaped.

Naruto hated the pounding in his ears. He couldn't think. Even if he'd been outside for hours, thinking and thinking until his temples throbbed, nothing helped him now.

But he had to do something, had to say something.

So he leaned in (his knees were digging into the rocks, thighs shaking like some naked virgin from the old pervert's books, heart shaking just as much as his thighs), still holding the hitai-ate in place as a blindfold, and murmured, "Stop. Being. So. Scared. _Open up."_

His lips dove at Kakashi's, searching and demanding, while his hand pressed into the maskless face. _Just open up,_ he repeated to himself, like a mantra.

A large hand grabbed at his hair. Slightly dry lips responded fervently, nipping almost, as if all the air Kakashi would ever get was somewhere in Naruto and he had to get it _quick_. The blond nearly lost his grip on the hitai-ate acting as a blindfold, but he held on tight. With reluctance he let go of that warm skin along the jawline and brought both hands behind the silver hair to tie the hitai-ate firmly in place.

Naruto's knees still hurt like hell but goddammit it didn't matter because he was on the verge of something and any hesitation, any movement too slow, and he'd lose this opportunity. He had a feeling Kakashi wasn't opening up quite yet, but he would take this. He would take anything, any tiny crack in the armor, and pry it wide open.

**o-x-o-x-o**

So here's yet another chapter! I'd apologize for the cliffhanger, but...the next part will be pretty cool? The stakes are steadily getting higher, and I hope you liked the interaction separate from the Kakashi-Naruto sort. I had some constructive criticism earlier saying that the rest of Konoha sort of faded away with my huge focus on Naruto and Kakashi, so I hope this was a little better. It'll be more balanced as we move into later chapters. Oh, and we'll have some new characters coming up, but they're not really new because I like subtle crossovers...hehehe.

I'm thinking about writing a sidestory, perhaps as a backup when things get slow, detailing Sai's accidental marriage. It's all in my head and sort of sketched out on paper, but I felt that it was a little tangential in relation to this story. But _oh, Sai_. The things you do. Silly boy is silly.

Anyway, thanks for reading. Please comment with anything on your mind, whether it's criticism or praise or just what you had for dinner or a fic request. I can churn out short one-shots if you have a request.

Thanks for your time!

Ja ne,

Vi


	16. Shifting Winds

Confluence

By Violet Garnets

**Chapter Fifteen: Shifting Winds**

**o-x-o-x-o**

Kakashi looked up as Yamato stepped out of the wooden compound, stretching his arms, his dark eyes searching the tops of the forest. Their eyes met, and Kakashi nodded his acknowledgment before returning his gaze to the fire he was tending.

Yamato's footsteps drew nearer, and finally the kouhai sat down a few paces from the flames, continuing to observe the surroundings.

"Naruto still asleep?" Kakashi inquired, his voice even and nonchalant.

He could almost hear Yamato pout. "Shortened the awkward pause on purpose, didn't you?"

"What awkward pause? We didn't have any pause. I'm tending to the fire." He added a slender, brittle stick to the slowly growing flames. "Answer my question."

The Mokuton user sighed. "He is. I thought I'd have the pleasure of finding you two entangled in bed together."

"You wouldn't dare to spread gossip once we got back."

Kakashi made the mistake of looking over at Yamato, who had a meticulously crafted smile on his face. Despite Naruto and Sakura's fear of Tenzou's 'scary' face, the Copy-nin was pretty sure this grin was the most terrifying expression the man had in his arsenal. "Are you sure about that, senpai?"

His visible eye returned to the fire. Yamato didn't really have any evidence to work with anyway.

The night before, Naruto had kissed him, kissed him so fiercely, as if Kakashi were made of crevices and crumbling holes that needed to be patched before the flood waters broke through. No, Naruto didn't want to fix anything; he wanted the flood, the storm, the tempest. Kakashi felt it in every meeting of one set of lips to another, the insistence of those pressing hands, the warm body flush against him.

Then, just when Kakashi was just beginning to grab fists full of Naruto's shirt – when he was at the breaking point of pulling the boy close or shoving him off – Naruto just stopped. A single, slow kiss, where each part of that strong, lithe body flattened against his own broader frame...and then he pulled away, bit by bit. Before Kakashi looked to his left, face red from more than just embarrassment, he caught the genuine smile ghosting Naruto's small lips. He had always had particularly petite lips, the jounin realized, like his mother and father. From there, the blonde mumbled a rather quiet "Good night," and retreated to the compound.

Kakashi himself had slept...fitfully. He didn't dream. No, nothing from some previous life slipped into his mind. Only Naruto's fingers pressed into his neck and a lingering heat on dry lips haunted him that night. Jerking off _had_ been an option, but not a helpful one. A few strokes in and he found himself utterly...disappointed. In the lack. And in himself.

_Absurd_, he thought, adding two dry sticks to the fire, which had reached a steadier point by now. _To__kill__and__sleep__like__a__child.__To__love__and__struggle__like__a__sinner.__How__absurd_. This was the world he had lived in for thirty-one years now. Who could blame a shinobi for wanting to avoid something as terrifying as love?

Even now, with the clarity of morning on his side, he still couldn't understand what made him give in. Not that this would all go smoothly. Not that he wouldn't go running in the other direction at a moment's notice. He didn't even know what Naruto wanted of him. Open up? He had responded to the words, but what did opening up really mean? Was it worth it? No, no, none of this could be worth it. He had made another mistake. This was wrong.

Yamato interrupted his train of thought with a clearing of his throat. "I usually don't interfere with the personal lives of others, Kakashi-senpai–"

"A good policy to keep, Yamato."

"You're creating problems for yourself. It'll affect you in the long run."

The silver-haired jounin shook his head. "What do you mean by that?"

"You've had a seamless track record because, for the majority of those, you've lived alone, senpai. Now you're involved, and you've been doing well because of your experience.

But...you're getting older. Our bodies break down faster than those of civilians. Our senses are acute, but only with constant vigilance. That's hard to do when we're internally struggling with something at all times."

"I've learned how to put emotions aside, kouhai. You know that." He put his hands out toward the fire, now strong. Not only were the flames flickering, he realized. His hands quivered in the light. He willed them still.

"That's the thing though. Emotions grow. We can only handle so much. You were willing to sacrifice yourself to Hiruko those years ago, when Naruto was still sixteen. He fought tooth and nail to save you."

"I haven't forgotten," Kakashi muttered through grit teeth. Yamato hadn't even been there. Who was he to lecture now? Never before had Kakashi ever been on poor terms with the Mokuton user, but now they were pushing it.

"Seems like you have."

"Do you want to tell me how, _kouhai_?" His eyes snapped upward, away from the fire. His hands dropped, clenched into tight fists. Maybe a spar would be a good way to start his morning.

Yamato only stared back, his dark gaze calm like the forest around them. "He won't forgive you for leaving him. Don't." It wasn't a threat. Just advice.

The wind passed them suddenly. Kakashi's hands released. His face flushed. His gaze faltered. "I–"

"I'm telling you this before you act recklessly and hurt him or hurt yourself. We can't afford that right now."

Kakashi recovered quickly. "And here I thought you were being romantic."

Yamato smirked. "Even if I were, I'm nowhere near your level of romance. Always making problems, expecting your prince to come save you, feeding him when he's injured..." He continued, counting each one on a finger.

The team leader choked. "Hey now! And how'd you know I fed him anyay? You weren't there!"

The other man shrugged and grinned.

A door opening and a loud yawn pulled the attention of both back to the compound. Naruto, his eyes shut, stretched his arms out as he walked towards them. "Sorry I slept in," he said.

Yamato was throwing more sticks into the fire.

"Good morning," Kakashi said. The words left his lips softly, hesitantly.

Naruto snapped his eyes open and the jounin found himself facing an endless blue gaze. The blond said nothing in response, but an almost shy smile (uncharacteristic but endearing all the same) graced his face. Naruto's jaw structure had become more defined in the past few years, yet this smile exemplified his eternally boyish looks. Kakashi found a similar expression develop on his face, subtly.

"So..." Yamato drawled, making the other two look at him and his wry expression. "Breakfast, and we're off?"

Kakashi nodded. The wind seemed refreshing this morning.

**o-x-o-x-o**

"We're a good two and a half days away from the target," Suigetsu announced as he stood on a large boulder, surveying the landscape. An endless, dense forest stretched out below them, a sea of dark foliage. Every now then, birds ascended, cawwing or chirping, but otherwise He yawned. "Since we had to check in or whatever."

"So they'll have more time to create defenses or escape," Juugo rephrased, letting the cogs in his head work through the plans.

"All the better!" The white-haired man leered. "Fun to let them think they've got a chance. We'll crush them, then we can find that stupid rapper and tear him apart. How dare he pull shit like that..."

Karin hadn't said a more than a few words in days. Juugo had asked her (quite) a few times if she was okay, but each time she had nodded and touched his shoulder before moving away. Now she stood like a stone sentry, her arms crossed, eyes on the closest entrance into the Akatsuki compound.

On their way to Lightning Country, Zetsu had emerged and summoned them to headquarters. Karin had never particularly felt a loyalty to Akatsuki, or even any sense of trust. But orders were orders. Sasuke had seemed annoyed, though lately the leader's emotions were growing more and more difficult to discern. The past three years had passed quietly for Taka; they grew into an almost..comfortable pursuit of Killer Bee. Madara and Akatsuki had never asked them to speed things up and now, thinking about it...it was almost as if they had been biding their time. Sasuke had been in a private session with Madara for a while now; Karin and the others were swiftly dismissed as soon as they stepped foot inside. What could the two Uchiha be speaking of?

She pulled her arms tighter to her chest. Three years of loyalty to Taka. Looking back, wasn't their aim to crush Konoha? Why were they stalling now? And, what was her aim? Three years ago, she wanted to follow Uchiha Sasuke to the ends of the earth. His chakra was so brilliant, so dazzling.

Or rather, it used to be.

A rustle, and Sasuke emerged from the depths of the compound.

"Took you long enough," Suigetsu grumbled, putting away the cloth he had been using to clean some dry blood off his sword. "What was so important?"

"You'll find out," Taka's leader responded curtly. His answers were always brief nowadays, or they seemed even shorter than before, if that were possible. Karin narrowed her eyes; he seemed troubled. The chakra kept shifting erratically, pushing into a dark killer intent. Sasuke looked up. "Let's go."

For a second Karin thought she made eye contact with him. Her heart skipped, like it had all those years ago at the Chuunin exams. But she realized that, while she was looking straight at him...Sasuke looked straight _through_ her. East, toward the ending, the only aspect of the world he still understood. An end she had no place in.

As he brushed past her, she thought she heard him mutter "Foolish tale", but it was too low and too quick to be sure. She watched his retreating back for a moment, until Juugo touched her shoulder and ushered her to follow.

Karin shivered. The wind was cold today.

**o-x-o-x-o**

"This forest is very old," Yamato remarked, as they slowly crept through the woods. "Not only in age. It's crackling with ancient power. Yesterday when I pulled up the compound, there was something strange about it. Not that the wood resisted, but it seemed aware. I can see why people choose to live further away from here."

"All the better for the Hei, I'm sure," Kakashi said, his voice low.

Naruto stopped, making his companions pause as well. Kakashi looked over to see the Uzumaki's bright blue eyes alert, his ears almost pricking.

"D'you hear that?" The blond asked.

Yamato turned his head to the side a bit. "The water?"

In the ensuing silence, Kakashi heard it. A consistent _plopplopplopplopplop!_ Then it paused for a moment, a sudden crackle, then the plops started up again. _Plopplopplopplopplop_!

Naruto's eyes asked, "Should we investigate?"

Kakashi shrugged but moved towards the source in silence, ever vigilant. Easing his way through the reeds, the thrushes hardly noticing his presence as they tottered around the river, he found a strange sight. A small amount of water had formed into the blob-like shape. A glowing light within the water looked like an eye. Cautious, but detecting little threat from it, Kakashi bent down to examine the blob.

It bobbed in the river, and suddenly shot upstream, zig-zagging across the breadth of the river with ease. Kakashi followed it.

Yamato's voice called out to him. "Are you sure?"

"Is this a trap?" Naruto added, his voice coming in closer than Yamato's.

Kakashi made a noncommittal noise. "Chances are, yes. The Hei are secretive. They'll want to test us."

The blob and the trio of men approached a thundering waterfall. The light shot up the waterfall easily. Identifying the footholds, Kakashi pushed forward, and reached the top.

Only to narrowly dodge a trench knife crackling with lightning chakra. He rolled off to the side, performing a number of hand seals in moments. "Naruto! Yamato! Watch yourself! Suiton: Daibakufu no Jutsu!" A monstrous wall of water fell upon the assaulter, and then washed down into the river below.

Naruto and Yamato bounded to his side, defensive stances ready.

When the water subsided, a dark figure still remained. A masculine form dressed completely in black wore a white mask, similar to that of the ANBU. A red horizontal slit composed the mouth, and a purple lightning bolt cut through one of the painted, black, almond-shaped eyes. But part of the bolt was shadowed by a head of messy, soaking black hair. With a gloved hand, dripping with water, the man motioned for them to follow.

"A Hei operative," Yamato noted. Naruto nodded.

Slowly, carefully, they followed the figure, who split the river in half with a strike of lightning. In the open space, a stone monument arose with a door embedded in it. It opened and the man slipped inside. Kakashi, the last to enter the monument, closed the door behind him before descending the long, winding passage. Around them, he could hear the entire structure creaking downward so the top was level with the riverbed once more. The operative had disappeared. They followed him, Kakashi leading the way.

"Well, that was long," the youngest of the team commented when they finally reached a door at the end. He turned the knob and entered. Strangely, Kakashi felt no fear here. They somehow had already passed the test.

"Welcome," a gravelly voice called out to them. "You must be the Konoha-nin."

They entered a surprisingly well-lit room, inundated with books and scrolls from top to bottom. In the spaces, Kakashi could see that the walls were lined with metal, presumably to support the compound under the pressure of the river. A trio of individuals were waiting for them. The gravelly voice belonged to an old man with a gruff build. He was by no means good-looking, well past the prime of his life. His face looked like it had taken more than a few hard punches. He wore a large overcoat and a hat.

A young woman sat to his side by the wall, her hands hovering over a basin of water that seemed to connect to some elaborate system in the walls. Her eyes were glassy and light red, nearly pink. Her white hair, tied back in a high ponytail with a violet ribbon, seemed to glow like the moon. She did not look over at them or acknowledge their presence.

The last one was the masked figure from earlier. By now he had taken off the mask to reveal a simple face, so average it was attractive, in a way. His dark blue eyes were his only particularly striking feature. In fact, they were so dark, they seemed darker than black. His expression, while serious, did not seem to betray any ill will or poor disposition.

"Ga– excuse me, the Kazekage sent word of your arrival. Li here–" the old man pointed to the younger one, who nodded. "when he 'attacked you', his blade actually had drops of water on it. Yin simply did an identity check on your chakra."

"Where is he?" A soft voice interrupted. It was Yin, the young woman. "The one Li checked?"

Three things caught Kakashi's attention. First of all, why did she want to know? And secondly, Li had stiffened his shoulders for just a moment, as if caught off-guard. Finally, Li's eyes had lightened, almost. Nowhere near the clarity of Naruto's sky-blue eyes, but they definitely were not as dark as before. Odd. He spoke up. "I'm the one."

Yin turned to face him, but clearly she did not see him. Rather, she couldn't see him, being blind. For a moment, only silence. "Ah," she finally said and turned back to the basin, which rippled with light for a moment.

"That's it? 'Ah'?" Naruto squawked. "Sounded like you had more to say than that."

"Ah. You too." She responded.

The blonde raised an eyebrow. "Weird."

"I'm Huang, head of this branch of the Hei," said the old man. "I keep all these young ones in check. Our last associate will join us later on. What you're here for won't be ready until tomorrow morning. In the meantime, we can give you rest and food, and a history lesson or two. We Hei keep the oldest records of history for every village, nation, clan, any individual who was of significant importance. This is one reason why the Kazekage sent you."

"There are other reasons?" Yamato asked.

"That reason you will find tomorrow."

Kakashi leaned against the wall. "You all have a strange identity check. I could have been killed."

"If you were killed, then you wouldn't deserve the information you will receive. Besides, Li, being a historian more than a shinobi, may not be as talented as the rest as his sister or others in our clan, but his control is nothing to scoff at."

Li's disposition at this time had transformed entirely. Now he smiled at them. Kakashi felt a bit perturbed; it reminded him of Sai's blank smiles, although this one fell more into the grey area, between sincere and false. You knew straight out that Sai didn't know how to smile at all; Li seemed to have forgotten how. This bothered Kakashi even more. What an odd man. "It wouldn't kill you to explain what they're here for now, Huang. You were never one for theatrics anyway."

"This is true," the white-haired girl added.

Huang harrumphed. "I don't need to tell them more than they need to know."

"Well, we need to know," Yamato supplied, walking over to a bookshelf. "May I?"

"Sure, sure," Huang said with a wave of his hand, and Yamato immediately pulled off a few thick volumes. "Those are just histories of each nation. We keep pre-nation history stored in the back anyway."

"Why did you agree to see us?" Naruto asked. "Why are you guys so secretive anyway?"

"You're one to cut to the chase, aren't you? We Hei are unparalleled in battle skills. Throughout history, we have been assassins and mercenaries, the best of our kind. To keep a profit, we hold allegiance to no nation and that has proved favorable for us in most cases."

"I can imagine. It keeps you guys out of major wars, where there is no benefit but some so-called glory," Kakashi added.

"Indeed. The Hei kekkei genkai is a strange one. Unlike the Sharingan or other bloodlines, ours does not show up in a uniform way. Some of the Hei can merely use their chakra affinity without any hand signs needed, like Hei with lightning. Another uses his own blood as an explosive–" At this Li scoffed. "Little Li here isn't very fond of that one. And still others have powers we must keep absolutely clandestine, for their own sakes, and for humanity's sake.

"Essentially, each Hei member has a different talent. Our bloodline allows each to develop a unique power. However, it also carries a curse. We call it an obeisance. A payment, if you will," he added, seeing the confusion on Naruto's face. "Hei's sister must sleep after her use of her bloodline. Another girl pulls out a bit of her hair."

"Ouch," Naruto said, wincing.

"Yes. The bloodline manifests around puberty, easily identified by the sudden lack of emotion. Or rather, it's as if the kekei genkai has reset you as a person, and puts rationality before all else. Then it usually takes what the individual has loved and turns it into the obeisance. If you hated smoking, because your father smoked, when the bloodline kicks in, chances are you'll start smoking right after the use of your power. For this reason, we call those with the bloodline Contractors. They receive power, with a stipulation. Although we are, on one hand, a fearsome clan, the curse of our bloodline severely hinders us. It's to our best advantage that we work in secret and keep away."

"What do you mean by 'resetting you'?" Naruto seemed disturbed by this, already anticipating the answer.

Huang sighed. "To survive in this dirty world, only the best shinobi will prevail. If someone falls behind and saving them will fail the mission, they will that person behind because it's the most logical reason."

Kakashi could feel Naruto's eyes boring into him. He said nothing, but the blond did.

"What a shitty bloodline," he muttered.

"It takes a while, but some recover," Li surprised them by jumping in. Even Huang didn't seem to expect it. "They remain logical and cold, but they relearn their emotions."

"What about you?" Kakashi asked. "What's your obeisance? Are you rational?"

"I don't have an obeisance. I'm not sure why. Perhaps it's because my twin already carries one."

"Li is a strange one. He gets more emotional than others, on top of not having a curse," Huang muttered.

Li smiled. Kakashi noticed that Naruto smiled back, and he felt a strange flare of anger rise inside him.

"Anyway, why don't you three go off to bed. We'll send you to the catacombs tomorrow."

"Catacombs?" Naruto, Kakashi, and Yamato asked in eerie unison.

Li answered them. "They'll help you find what you're seeking. The catacombs will conjure the past for you, under the rushing of this river. You'll be able to recall bits of your past life. If you gave the Kazekage correct information, and our hunch is correct...then you two started the first War of the Clans."

"Holy shit," the blond whispered. Kakashi couldn't do anything but agree with him.

**o-x-o-x-o**

Hi team! I will apologize profusely for the delay, but I've just been. Well, many excuses but also many valid reasons. My friend committed suicide a few months back, and to be honest, after a strong bout of depression, the grief has, at many points, crushed me entirely. Lots of other unexpected situations have arisen as well, so my stress levels have just compounded. It's been terrible. Writing has always been a comfort for me, and it still is, but I've been writing more original poetry than fanfiction. I was worried my grief might make me add some terrible plot twist to this anyway, so I think it was good to work on it in bits.

I hope you guys like the beginnings of this Hei clan. If you've seen Darker Than Black, I've pretty much lifted the cast and given them a special appearance in this. So I guess you could say this is a crossover, but Hei and his friends from Darker Than Black are really just giving cameos. I apologize for the info-dump, but I think it's valuable to give insight into the family and their reclusiveness instead of just saying that they're loners. Plus the concept of Contractors and obeisances in DTB is so cool I didn't want to pass it up. If you all haven't seen the show yet, I highly recommend it and its spin-off/sequel, Darker Than Black: Gemini of the Meteor. In fact, it doesn't hurt to watch the sequel first, because I think that watching it after the original is a bit of a letdown.

All right, enough fangirling. I'm doing a lot better, and I just want to thank you all for your support all this time. Please keep reviewing, and more importantly, please keep reading.

Ja ne,

Vi


	17. Pulled by the Undertow

Confluence

By Violet Garnets

**Chapter Sixteen: Pulled by the Undertow**

**o-x-o-x-o**

Sakura followed Ei slowly, taking each step with care. Perhaps due to its location, Kumogakure was an unusually quiet town. Rather, its energy was quiet, crackling like clouds pregnant with lightning. Of course, like any country, there were loud, outspoken fire-starters, but somehow they seemed more of an anomaly than the rule. They all seemed confident to her, secure in their bearings. It made sense, of course, given their safe fortress and unshakeable economic situation.

The village itself was constantly shrouded in a soft fog, fitting its name. The high altitude gave the Konoha team a slight hitch in their breath every now and then, but all of them had acclimated well enough. Sakura didn't appreciate the drop in temperature and clutched her cloak to her body tightly. A gentle snow began to descend; the flakes were large enough to stick. She shivered.

"Are you all right, Haruno-san?"

"I'm fine. Thank you, Raikage-sama."

"Even if it already nighttime, you leaf-nin are such pansies when it comes to snow. Or should I say,_ cherry blossoms_?" He rumbled with laughter.

"Clever, sir," she responded with polite amusement.

Speaking of the leaf-nin, they had left the others back at the Raikage's Headquarters. They had all been debriefed, but Ei had asked only Sakura to go meet the family of the Jinchuuriki. "They asked for any and only members of the original Team Kakashi."

Her heart skipped and she slowed down. "Wait. What do you mean, they asked for us?"

The man stopped, turning around to face her with a reassuring smile. "They are trustworthy. More so than any other family in this village. Bee would not have entrusted the Hachibi to this family if we did not feel they were reliable. I just know that they wanted Team Seven. You should not be surprised to hear that your team's reputation has stretched this far. Your leader is Sharingan no Kakashi, after all, although I must admit they seemed to have other reasons to take interest in your team. Come, it's only a few more steps this way."

She continued to follow him, but her mind was bounds ahead of the pair's footsteps. When they finally caught up to the torrent of her thoughts, the house surged into view as the snow was just picking up.

"That's the one," Ei said. "The small one."

Sakura wouldn't say it was small, but it certainly cowered to its adjacent buildings. Nestled in an elaborate spread of well-decorated houses, this was clearly a branch family of a much larger and more powerful clan. Nevertheless, the home looked cozy, and a warm light seemed to invite them in. Shadows flickered in and out, growing more defined as they approached.

A knocked on the door, two firm strikes of his knuckles against the wood. They only waited half a second before the door opened to reveal a tall, lithe man. He had dark skin, though not quite as dark as Ei's or Bee's, and long, grey hair. His features were stern, but not cold. He greeted the two of them with a smile. "Yondaime-sama. Kunoichi-san. Welcome." He pulled back to allow them in. A flurry of snow followed the pair into the hallway.

"Where is your wife, En?"

He took their cloaks and pointed them down the hall. "Kira is with the child. Yomei is usually very quiet, but–" A peal of childish laughter interrupted him. "There are times when his giggling keeps us up well into the night. Excuse me; I will join you shortly." With that, En disappeared into another hallway, but not without a pointed look at Ei.

"You go ahead, Haruno-san. I'd like to talk to En about separate matters for a moment." Ei nodded and then left her.

So she did as he suggested and moved towards the room at the end of the hall. The child laughed again, and though part of her wanted to smile, most of her body shook from being cold– and having cold feet. Whatever did she have to worry about? It certainly wasn't the Jinchuuriki aspect. A child was a child, and a curse was a curse. It didn't have to be a curse anyway, she thought, thinking of Naruto's latest training and the way that demon power coursed through his hands.

But there was something moving through her, that same strangeness she experienced when she had that hallucination–she couldn't really think of calling it something else, except for "memory", but that still seemed absurd–no, Sakura knew better than this. In medicine, skill only took you so far. A kunoichi's instinct pushed one in the right direction, always. It was just a child, in any case. She took a slow breath and pushed the door aside.

The room was nothing special, just like a typical room in a typical clan house you would find in Konoha, although she could feel more heat running through the tatami under her feet to keep everything warm. She looked down to see large brown eyes peering at her, and it took all her willpower to keep a straight face. Tears sprung to her eyes. Sakura could almost feel the curious glances nudging her, coming from both the young boy and his mother.

"He looks like an Uchiha," she blurted, and then flushed a deep, deep rose red. "Oh no, I'm sorry! I didn't, I couldn't stop myself. Excu–"

The mother interrupted her, smiling gently. "We have heard that many times. Yomei certainly does not share the typical characteristics of the Nii family." Sakura, however, upon closer and more clearheaded inspection, could start to see the similarities between Yomei and his mother. His dark brown (almost black, like an Uchiha's) eyes were warm and shaped like his mother's and his hair, much like her soft blonde, was honey brown and mussed. But the jawline had the same Uchiha angles, and his smile...gods, when she saw him grin up at her, she thought, for a moment, it was Sasuke looking at her, happy again.

She bent down and patted the little boy on the head, smiling apologetically. "You're a very handsome young boy."

He smiled at her again, while her heart crashed like a cymbal, she managed to smile back.

With her other hand, she pushed away a few hairs straying into his eyes. "Tell me your name?"

"I'm Yomei. Nice to meet you."

"Wow, how well-mannered! Your parents have raised you well, haven't they?"

He nodded. "I'm gonna be strong like you, hime-sama!"

"Yomei, she's not a princess," his mother clarified, her eyes sparkling with amusement. "She is quite lovely though. You'll have to excuse my son..."

" My name is Haruno Sakura, miss," she offered, trying not to blush at the compliment.

"Please, Kira is fine."

Sakura felt the boy turn around underneath her hand, arms akimbo, as he spoke indignantly to his mother, "But she is a princess! Hime-sama is the princess who hated...Mama, what are those things that cover your face?" He dashed to the corner of the room to pick up a small blanket and threw it over him. Yomei looked like a tiny little ghost. "These things? Smaller?"

"A veil?" Kira offered.

Yomei nodded under his blanket, dashing over to his mother's embrace with his arms out, as if he were flying. "A veil, a veil! It was really red, like hime-sama's shirt!" His mother picked him up and brought him over to Sakura.

"Sakura-san, are you all right? You're very pale." Kira asked as her son reached forward to grab the pink-haired woman's hand.

"Am I?" A voice responded and although logically it could only belong to Sakura, she couldn't register it as her own. Her vision grew hazy and she was falling through layers and layers of deep, deep fog...

**o-x-o-x-o**

Kakashi had been nursing a slow-growing headache in his sleeping quarters for the past few hours, tossing and turning in his bed. The quarters provided were fine, if (understandably) a little damp. It seemed like he'd be sharing a bed with insomnia again tonight.

Huang had refused to share any more information. Yin and Li assured them that this was merely dramatic flair on their leader's part, and they would find out more in the morning when everything was settled and prepared. Li then showed them to their rooms, and then left them to go finish some historian work. Kakashi had begun to let down his guard somewhat around Li, but the young man exuded quite the enigmatic aura that the Copy-nin was still unsure about this Hei member. Something about the young man suggested that, pushed the wrong way, he could be a fearsome figure.

Not unlike Kakashi himself.

He chuckled, turning over to the right for the sixth time in two hours. Perhaps that was it– it was like looking in a mirror. A stoic young man with a lightning affinity and an undercurrent of edgy danger. Of course.

So...if he had any advice to tell Li...was it also advice for himself?

_Open up._

Once more, Naruto's simple statement flashed across Kakashi's memory. Don't be scared. Let the floodgates loose. Things along those lines. That's what the younger man meant, right? Simple advice. Sound advice for any situation. Yet Kakashi was hellbent on resisting. His headache was growing worse, denser and more acute in its attack on his temples. His body felt out of place, as if someone had nudged his soul a little to the left, leaving him in a small crammed space.

What if he did "open up"? What did that mean, exactly?

Goddammit, this headache was growing absurd. He turned again, to face the door, massaging his temple in small circles. The door was open. Naruto's lithe silhouette casted a shadow on the bed.

"Can't sleep?" The blond asked.

Kakashi attempted to answer, but only a low grown emerged from his throat. He couldn't even lift his head.

"Headache? Let me see," Naruto's tone was worried, Kakashi could tell in the half-lucid moments he was holding on to. He felt Naruto's hands – warm with chakra and a little dry, like crackling fire – slip under his and gently rub at the temples. Were his headache not so terrible, he would have resisted. But any more frustration would only worsen things, so he let it be and just closed his eyes. "Breathe," the voice beside him whispered. "Slow."

Kakashi attempted to resist one last time and wrest his head away, but Naruto's grip was firm.

"Seriously. It won't hurt you at all, Kakashi. Just a few moments. Breathe."

And so teacher obeyed student. A deep breath through his nose, and then out from his mouth softly. In waves, Naruto's ministrations reached him, like raindrops on a river, but they sank in deeper and deeper. No one in Konoha had particularly soft hands, for the life of a shinobi meant giving up such luxury, but the _touch_, the touch was soft, and Naruto's full, young hands lessened the impact of such work. More importantly, they radiated a warmth Kakashi had never experienced in anyone else. A love. A love that terrified him. But one that would not go away. The Hatake began to focus less on his breathing, more on the gentle circles on either side of his head. The minutes passed as if they moved through honey; it was,0 altogether, not an unpleasant experience.

He had grown up with only one understanding of how to live. But sometimes Kakashi wondered how life would be like, if he were just a civilian, a farmer out in the fields, coming home to massages in the evening. With someone else? He tried to picture a woman at the door of a farm house, like Kurenai– but no, he only conjured Naruto at his apartment complex, leaning against the banister, grinning through his large yawn, holding a plastic bag of takeout in his hand.

What a fantasy.

"Naruto." The blond had stopped his ministrations. Kakashi's headache had certainly lessened.

"No need for thanks."

"You deserve to be happy," Kakashi muttered as Naruto stopped massaging and pulled away his hands. "I am not someone who makes others happy, Naruto. Give up on this."

Those blue eyes flashed, bright and fearsome as any Chidori. "You know what would make me happy right now? You shutting up. And you know what else would make my night? _Fucking you_."

He half-registered Naruto heaving him up and straddling him, taking off his mask and throwing it to the table, but impulse had taken over. No, not impulse, but those warm hands grabbing for his face and his chest and whatever lay underneath that; those slightly chapped lips, invading like the reckless shinobi they belonged to, pressing deep into Kakashi's lips and the silence behind; and those eyes, that unparalleled blue, a dreamer's blue, a healer's blue, that tried to reach deep into him, into a thing Naruto would call a fractured scar: an opening.

One hand, wanting closeness, reached up to cover Naruto's. The other, wanting distance, pulled at a bundle of golden hair. Naruto tugged the other direction in response, as if daring him to yank out his hair, smashing his insistent mouth even more into Kakashi. His tongue teased in short flares, passive-aggressively indicating its wishes.

Naruto stopped for half a moment, just long enough to repeat himself. "I'm going to fuck you." With that,

Kakashi could feel a quick swipe of a groin against his own, and a thrill of heat sprinted up his body, from the pelvis up to the top of his head. He felt lightheaded, and almost groaned, but he was stifled by a punishing kiss, and cool air spilled across his thighs, knees, calves, and he felt Naruto pulling off his pants entirely, shuffling _downdowndowndown_ and–

Searing heat choked him, because there was mouth swallowing his cock therewasmouthswallowinghis_cock_ – when the hell had it gotten hard and_ how the fuck _did it throb so? – and his hands clawed their ways into the sheets, trying to hold onto anything, because he was losing every sense of faculty he had ever possessed. Naruto's tongue ran along the underside of his member and it took everything in him now to groan.

There was a stop in the action, giving Kakashi time to _breathe_. He looked up to see Naruto's head tilted, the blond hair slightly matted to his forehead and pushed to one side, saliva (or mostly saliva, he didn't really want to ask) glazing his smirking lips and trailing down on side of his mouth, eyes electric, blue like lightning. "You don't like being loud, do you?"

Kakashi gulped, breathless again.

Naruto had accepted some sort of self-made challenge, as he went down again, this time faster, this time more erratic. The suddenness caught Kakashi off-guard, and a moan escaped him. He arched, matched his movements to the bobs of Naruto's head, each breath turning into more of a gasp or a groan, then

Stars, and a sigh.

Well, fuck.

How old I'm getting, he thought with another sigh. After a long moment (presumably so he could clean his mouth up), Naruto continued to press little kisses from his groin upward, strong hands on Kakashi's hips. The copy-nin himself absentmindedly had his hand in Naruto's hair, running through it. It was damp close to his scalp, thick and soft.

When the kisses had made their way up to his chest and Naruto latched himself onto a nipple, Kakashi drily asked, "You're still hard, aren't you?" Thought it was more statement than question.

The younger one looked up and grinned. "I'm glad you went to bed without a shirt. And no." Kakashi didn't believe him. But he pushed himself up to let Kakashi peek down at his own cock, which, indeed, was spent as well. "I can take care of myself."

He raised a fine grey eyebrow. Then the realization hit him. "You were better at that than I expected."

Naruto feigned hurt, but the impish look never left his face. "When Yamato and I were traveling–" and for a moment a horrific thought crossed Kakashi's mind of the young man in front of him doing what he had just done to his former ANBU subordinate – "sometimes the village boys were very generous in their welcome. Those little civilian towns don't get a lot of visitors, you see." He rolled off the bed, picked up his boxers, and stretched with a yawn, boxers in hand. "Changed my mind. Not going to fuck you tonight. I'm going to bed. Night, Kakashi." He swooped in for a deep kiss and then, just like that, was up and out.

Bewildered (at both the change in mind and the images of Naruto giving blowjobs to young civilian teens or being given such treatment himself), the jounin watched Naruto strut to the door and open it, completely naked. He seemed to be completely sure no one would catch him on his way back to his room.

"Everyone's sleeping in another hall. It's just you and me in this one."

"Aah."

"I practiced." Naruto wasn't looking at him.

"Hmm?"

"It was all practice. In case you'd let me, someday."

Naruto walked off, swagger evaporated, and as he noticed the redness of Naruto's ears Kakashi realized just how nervous the kid must have been that entire time, how many times he must have imagined that moment in his years out...how much he meant to Naruto.

Well, fuck. He buried his face in his hands. His lips were still throbbing from that kiss.

Oh, how it ached. Everything ached.

**o-x-o-x-o**

So, although technically Ei's name is really A in canon, I find it difficult to write just A, because then I often confuse it with "A flurry" or "A something or other". So I'm writing it as Ei. Plus it lines up with the way I'm writing Bee rather than B. Some applies for En.

Sorry it's shorter than the usual and also about the hiatus, but depression is a douchebutt and I was a dumbass and broke my thumbdrive and so I pretty much had to restitch this chapter from almost nothing. Also sorry about the poor quality of smut. I'm honestly no good with the smut but I do find it important. I'll be back to a regular schedule and a regular length soon enough. I feel like I'm patching things back together in my life again.

I hope you enjoyed it, and as always, I appreciate your attention and, if you've the time, your comments!

Ja ne,

Vi


	18. Approaching the Mouth

Confluence

By Violet Garnets

**Chapter Seventeen: Approaching the Mouth**

**o-x-o-x-o**

To be honest, he had forgotten lube.

He hadn't ever really gone the whole way before – not that he would tell Kakashi that – but the village boys always reminded him that when he did it for sure, he'd have to lube up because it was excruciating without it. "Spit dries fast," a few would tell him. "You going to slow your momentum to freshen up down there? No, Aki-chan! Don't even hesitate, the answer is no!"

So, listening to those wise civilian boys, he'd need lube. Even if that meant waiting until all of this was over, he thought with a groan. Maybe he could buy some if they stopped in another town, or get some not-so-proper-but-perhaps-more-fun substitute but when would there be time? It could be a quick one, maybe, he'd pull Kakashi away some night while traveling and–and–

"Dammit!" he snapped as he dropped back onto the bed, fully dressed. Yin had told them to meet in the main compound by eight, but he still had two hours to go. _Thankfully a good amount of time_, he observed as his dick was growing hard at the fantasies flitting through his head. Outdoors? A cheap hotel? No setting was quite romantic, but all Naruto wanted was to see Kakashi's face, flushed, all because of him, just as he looked last night when Naruto had finished sucking him off. He didn't need any help getting off, not at all, not when he saw that face: eyes closed, scars pale in the dim light by the bed, skin blossoming red partly from embarrassment but mostly from pleasure, and open, so open Naruto wanted to find a way to keep digging in deeper... he'd just come at the sight, the thought.

How nice it would have been to fuck him then and there. But...

To be really honest, he had just been _scared_ _as fuck_.

Kakashi was bigger than any of the boys he'd met in those three years (with the exception of one guy, but they had never gone past a bit of groping here and there), and at the same time his largeness was nothing to note. Naruto liked that. The man he'd respected, admired, adored since that distant day when his best prank was an eraser over a door, a village hero whose shadow seemed gigantic and whose footsteps Naruto wanted but sometimes wasn't quite sure if he could fit into – his dick wasn't as terrifying. That was nice. He could work with that.

But he wasn't sure about the other matter. Not that he had any insecurity about his own dick, _hell no_, but what if he hurt him, what if he was too slow, what if it was boring, what if Kakashi had had better, what if he'd never get better at this even if he was a quick learner, what if- what if—what if he wasn't

enough?

"Goddammit," he muttered.

Sexual frustration was the worst.

He ached to touch Kakashi again. He could hear the teasing words of those civilian boys, when they'd gotten him good and he came with a choked, "Ka—Ka—". They'd look him in the eye and, with a grin, half-whisper, "That's not my name, Aki-chan!"

Wait.

Aki-chan.

Akira.

Didn't Kakashi call him Akira that one time? Didn't they mention something about Akira in the history texts? He'd been using that name as a civilian cover, but perhaps...it wasn't much of a cover.

The fuck?

**o-x-o-x-o**

_She couldn't let her guard down. Even if he was chained, he had once been an instigator of one of the most brutal wars even the oldest of the clans had seen in their lifetimes, the creator of the monstrosity the Ten-Tailed demon. She was perhaps fifteen winters younger, more agile and quick to react, but he had skill and experience on his side. _

_Yet, as he smiled at her, her gaze softened. He looked as though he were about to cry._

"_You are a beautiful woman. I could have fallen in love with you." She squirmed a little, not at the compliment, but at the feeling that he really _meant_ it, that he was regretting something else, as if there were an unsaid "instead". She said nothing._

_He did not seem to mind. "I have a lot to repent for, in this lifetime. Maybe I shall be a cockroach in the next one and someone will stomp on me over and over again. That seems insufficient though, I'm sure you agree. Cockroaches don't have emotions, I'm sure. They only feel physical pain, of being crushed. Young as you are, I'm sure you know there are far more painful ways to crush a man."_

"_Perhaps you'll feel too much the next life."_

_His laugh took her by surprise. It sounded like a choke at first, maybe a bark, but then it was hearty, and bitter. "Yes, I think so. For Akira the Destroyer, that is a fitting punishment."_

_As she saw the tears trickle from his blue eyes, she regretted her words. He clearly felt too much in this life. Right now. How much more could one man bear?_

Sakura gasped and lunged forward, but a pair strong arms held her down.

"Sakura!" It was Sai. His face was the same as ever, but a flicker of concern, then uncertainty passed over before he pulled her into a tentative, awkward, embrace.

She gasped once more, this time to catch her breath. Thankful for his strong grip, she fell into him, her hands grabbing at the fabric covering his back. She could feel his breath ease and he held her more comfortably, though still it retained the awkwardness Sai tended to have with any individual, a distance he still had not learned how to bridge– but perhaps there was a distance between people no one could ever close. Sakura appreciated his effort and had the sobs not been so devastatingly bone-wracking, she would have thanked him.

She couldn't stop thinking of those blue eyes, and because of that, she couldn't stop the tears.

**o-x-o-x-o**

Yamato had knocked on Naruto's door at the appointed time and together they walked to the archive.

"Sleep well, Naruto?"

"Sort of. You?"

"Sort of. I was thinking of Sakurai, Sai, and the others. They must have found the new jinchuuriki at this point."

Ah yeah, Naruto had forgotten about that. "How old's the kid?"

"Probably three or four."

Old enough to know pain, but not enough to understand it, place a name to it, Naruto thought. "Cool. There's still time."

"Time?"

"To teach it how to be the ultimate prankster!" Naruto said, grinning, keeping it in place even as Yamato looked at him with a look close to pity. Considering Bee, Kumo probably had a different reaction to demon containers than Konoha did, but still. It was easier to learn self-defense than to teach a whole community.

Naruto stopped in the middle of the hallway.

"Naruto?"

How cowardly.

"I take it back."

"What?"

"New plan: There's still time to tell Kumo they can't fuck around like Konoha did. We can beat the bullshit out of them."

It was quiet for a moment, and when Li opened the door of the archive with a raised eyebrow, Yamato was laughing.

Finally, he said, "Kakashi-senpai was right. You really are Konoha's Number One Most Unpredictable Ninja."

Naruto grinned again, and this time it was sincere. They entered the archive. Unsurprisingly, everyone was present except Kakashi. Huang was scribbling in a small notebook, his eyes darting from the notes to a thick pile of scrolls. Yin stood over her basin, expression blank as usual, not acknowledging their entrance.

"Where's Wispy?"

"Good morning to you too," Yamato said drily. Naruto snickered. "Sorry, but senpai tends to be...tardy to things. It's a terrible habit."

Huang grunted and went back to note-taking. Li sat down across the table strewn with papers and joined him.

"So...uh... do you guys just...write? All the time?"

"Yes," Li said, not looking up. "The Hei have always been a family of mercenaries, but this...this is the inheritance of the clan. We record and protect history. We save it for the future." Naruto didn't really have any definitive opinion on the trio of historians yet, except maybe that he didn't like Huang so much, but there was something in Li's tone as he spoke that made Naruto like him and feel more at ease. He meant what he said. The dark-eyed man would put his life on the line for this.

He continued. "The mercenary cover is helpful for our real work. Anyone that hears whispers of the Hei merely think we're a clan for hire, which is true. We're careful about which jobs we pick up, and when. We never provide services to governments, though there's nothing wrong with serving the powerful ones in the government. Either they're killed off quickly, or they last long enough that we can serve them their lifetime. There are nothing in-between, and most fall into the former category anyway."

"I assume that list of long-term clients is confidential?" Yamato asked.

Li nodded.

"Danzou's not on there, is he?" The tone was casual, but immediately every body in the room stiffened (aside from Yin, who really did seem involved in whatever she was doing over that basin.)

Huang answered, scoffing. "As if we'd ever pander to that stick-up-his-asshole mummy. We're not trustworthy in our alliances, but we're not morons. He's complete trouble."

Naruto couldn't really tell if he was lying or not, but the old man's distaste for Danzou seemed pretty sincere. He grinned and 'hmm!'ed his agreement.

The door opened with a click and all their heads turned to meet Kakashi in the entrance. He was eye-smiling, and gave them a weak wave of his hands.

"Sorry. Doing laundry."

Naruto choked. The sheets! They must've been stained with his own cum, and what he hadn't managed to swallow and ended up wiping off his mouth onto the bed.

Huang scoffed. "You're a terrible liar. A surprise you manage to be a shinobi with that deficiency."

Oh, he wasn't lying at all. Not a bit.

Shit, it really wouldn't do to get roused up in front of everyone here. Goddamn cock of his. _No one told you to stand at attention! Stop!_ Maybe he could go to the bathroom or–

"-suke and his team Taka are making their way towards your teammates and the new jinchuuriki."

"What? Sasuke?" His earlier concern was dropped in an instant.

Huang rolled his eyes. "Come on now, pick it up. Yin received a message from a clan member this morning. The information is sound. If you Konoha-nin are as talented as your reputation – which at this point you don't seem to be so – your team will be able to avoid them if you leave tomorrow and move swift."

"Why not tonight?" Yamato asked, a shadow on his face.

"What Wispy and the brat are doing today is not an easy process, nor is it a short one. They'll need the rest."

Yin spoke; everyone jumped. "It's not as simple as just walking into the catacomb and discovering information. A journey into the River Passage requires the release of one's earthly identity, to reach for the golden current of one's life, as well as the red threads that tie one soul to another."

The oldest of the Hei archivists shot a look at Li. "Want to explain to them?"

Li nodded. "Yin speaks of the River Passage. Our chief concern as the Hei is history, the chronicling of time. We have no control over time itself, so we find it valuable to prepare ourselves with knowledge of its patterns, however few they are.

"However, we have one last duty. The Hei are the keepers of the River Passage, found deep in the catacombs of this mountain."

"The River Passage? What's that? A big river?" Naruto asked. He had a hard time imagining it.

"The big river is the one aboveground. There is a spiritual one that runs underneath it. As with any river, it feeds into a delta. No matter how hard we may try, we have no idea which way this river winds, or where it starts or begins. The delta, however- that is the River Passage. Past members of the Hei have gained access through it for understanding of their past lives and histories. But fair warning. It only takes a person in if they should, and there is absolutely no control in what it shows you."

"So we could've come here for nothing," Kakashi said. Naruto could hear the guarded tone, and found a pang of disappointment.

"Man, this sucks," he whined, pouting.

"We doubt that will happen. Considering what was relayed to us, we have reason to believe you are connected to the instigators of the Clan Wars. There's something else going on right now that makes that meaningful."

Huang nodded. "Yes, you should reach the demon container before Taka does."

"Duh."

The old man shook his head. "No, not only for that reason. There's something else. The reason why you two are accessing old lives, why Akatsuki has been biding its time these past few years rather than dealing their finishing blow. They've been waiting for this."

"What do you mean?" Kakashi's eyes were sharp and his shoulders tense.

Huang stared at each of them individually before he took a careful breath.

"The Sage of the Six Paths has finally been reincarnated."

Silence.

"**Whaaaaaaaatt?"**

**o-x-o-x-o**

Finally the sobs subsided, and Sakura was able to gently push against Sai, letting him know she was alright now.

"Sorry," she said as she pulled away and his arms dropped to his sides, her eyes on his soaked cropped shirt. "Got it wet."

He shrugged. "Tears dry."

She wasn't sure if he meant to be consoling, but it made her smile. "Yes. They do."

"You fainted," Sai said, answering the question on the tip of her tongue. "I...I don't know why, but I thought something felt off, and I asked the others for permission to check on you and the Raikage. I came here and you were out, mumbling. The Lady Tanigawa had been watching you, but she needed to put the child to bed."

She nodded. "Thank you. I just remember meeting Tanigawa— no, Kira-san and Yomei-chan, and then..." Sakura faltered. She wasn't sure what to make of her dream, those blue eyes.

"Are you unwell? Pregnant?"

Caught off-guard, she laughed. It felt nice, as if weights were lifting off of her lungs. She could breathe, she realized. She could breathe easily. "Your jokes are getting better, Sai!"

When her eyes weren't closed from the laughter, she could see him smile at her. "Your smiles are getting better, too," she said.

His eyes widened and his smile vanished for a moment, and for the first time ever, perhaps, he blushed. But it was just a sprinkle of pink, then it was gone and he smiled again, still genuine. "I'm glad."

"Me too, Sai." And she really was. Since his initial appearance, Sakura had certainly lessened her guard around him, even learned to trust him. But it was strange to grow close to him like this, to be vulnerable but not because she had left an opening while attacking or defending. They weren't in battle. They weren't training. They were just here, together, as teammates. Instinctively her hand moved out to ruffle his short hair. He didn't move away, but looked at her inquiringly. "It's to show affection."

"Ah." He was silent for a moment, and Sakura watched as he processed this information slowly, probably filing it into his growing database for Human Interaction. Finally, he just said, "It's pleasant."

"Good! It should be. You're still wondering about something though, aren't you?"

"I believe I've seen Kakashi-san do it to Naruto before. I do understand that he means to show affection but—"

"But?"

"The expression on his face was different from yours." He furrowed his eyes softly. "As if...as if it wasn't enough."

She sighed. "Yes, Naruto and Kakashi are like that. Shinobi in general are emotionally ruined. We don't know how to act around each other, to show affection, to give or take what we want or need." She laughed. "In the end, you're not very behind the rest of us."

"Things were easier when I didn't have to know any of this." He looked at her with his fathomless dark eyes.

"Easier, but not better."

"Yes."

Before a silence could lapse between them, Sakura clapped her hands together. "I'm sure the Raikage and Kira-san are worried. Could you let them know I'm fine? Maybe a glass of water too."

"Of course." He stood up to leave, but the door slid open and Sakura found a little boy tumbling into her arms. She reeled back to catch him and her breath caught in her throat at Yomei's sweet smile.

"You're awake, hime-sama! Okaa-san told me to go to bed, but I knew you were up!" Despite his excitement, he yawned loudly and rubbed round fists at his eyes. She held him close to her and stood up.

"I'm glad you wanted to see me, Yomei-chan. Let's go find your mother."

"Okay!" His bright eyes looked up at her, and her breath caught again. For a brief moment, she thought... she shook her head.

"No. I saw it." Sakura turned to Sai. His face was grim. "It was just a moment, but I'm sure I saw it. His eyes rippled. There's no mistake."

She gasped as silhouettes overtook the doorway of the room. It was Kira and En, both of them with tight-lipped grimaces.

"Yes, Haruno-san. It's the bloodline limit of the Rinnegan."

**o-x-o-x-o**

So hereon it'll be AU about the beginnings of the Naruto universe, but I tried to give it a bit of Kishimoto's touch and luckily his canon has enough about it that many parts of it fits in nicely with my own imagination. So yay!

I'm very fond of Sakura, and I know I tend to focus on Kakashi and Naruto, so it was nice to pull more of the focus onto their teammates. Sai's an adorable character, and I think that Sakura has the perfect amount of patience at this point to help him along, especially when his other teammates are absolute morons. She's reliable, so incredibly reliable, that I find it important to let her be vulnerable sometimes, and she'll never let you mistake it for a "feminine" weakness. Ever.

We'll be delving into the River Passage next time as well as a look into other characters' doings, so please look forward to it!


End file.
